Erase It! Hunger

Erase It! Hunger lesson plan

How can people work together to reduce hunger in your community? Identify local services and lend a hand to help erase hunger.

  • 1.

    <STRONG> Gather information</STRONG>. Many children, even where you live, miss breakfast and do not have enough to eat at dinner. Lunches at school or soup kitchens may be their best meal of the day. Sometimes people cannot get out to shop for food. Find out what resources are available in your community to help families get enough to eat, such as soup kitchens, food pantries, meal delivery services, and other programs.

  • 2.

    <STRONG>What can you do?</STRONG> Interview workers at local programs to find out what they need to serve more people. It might be donations of canned foods, volunteers to prepare or serve meals, or drivers to take food to shut-ins. Some may need to get the word out in your community.

  • 3.

    <STRONG>Show your solutions!</STRONG> With Crayola® Erasable Colored Pencils on white paper, make a drawing that will convince others to get involved to help erase hunger. Use the erasers to add texture to foods and decorate cans, for example. Fill some erased areas with more color so the drawing really pops! Spread the word!

Benefits

  • Students identify local programs and agencies that provide food and services to people who are hungry.
  • Students gather information about the needs of local organizations that provide food to families.
  • Students portray and display solutions to local hunger in a mini-poster.

Adaptations

  • Students work with a parent teacher organization to plan and implement a food drive, recruit volunteers, or follow through with other solutions.
  • Students create a list of the most nutritious foods to donate and publicize the list.
  • Read children’s books about low-income families who cope with challenges such as hunger. How do they get back on their feet? These books may be especially helpful for younger children and children with disabilities to better grasp the feelings of those involved.
  • Assessment: Note the creativity with which students use erasing and white space to design a poster with impact. How well is the message communicated?