Finding hope at the grocery store

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I went grocery shopping last Friday, which is, I've mentioned before, my least favorite thing in the world to do. As I went up the snack-food aisle, I saw the Orville Redenbacher's popcorn packages marked with a big red push pin designating it as part of ConAgra Foods' Child Hunger Ends Here campaign. Which made me smile despite my grocery-shopping blues.

Then it made me feel like a numskull. Because it reminded me that I had intended to add to my grocery list some of the products included in the Child Hunger Ends Here campaign but had completely forgotten to do so. Which isn't very Blogger Ambassador-like of me.

I did grab the Orville Redenbacher's, though, and I felt a little better knowing I'd make at least a small difference. Yesterday I used the code from the popcorn box to donate one meal to Feeding America and to download Jewel's version of Here's Hope, the song written especially for the campaign. It's a catchy song—and especially poignant sung by Jewel, who has faced food insecurity herself.

Here Jewel talks about her experience with child hunger, the song Here's Hope, and her participation in the Child Hunger Ends Here campaign:

 

To download Here's Hope from Jewel—or from Owl City or Jay Sean—purchase any of these products specially marked as part of the Child Hunger Ends Here campaign:

  • Banquet
  • Chef Boyardee
  • Healthy Choice
  • Hunt’s
  • Marie Callendar’s
  • Manwich
  • Orville Redenbacher
  • Peter Pan
  • Snack Pack

Then, with your code in hand (from the specially marked box), head on over to www.childhungerendshere.com to download your song. You will enjoy a tune, and a child in need will enjoy a meal.*

It's as easy as that to make a difference. And to get a catchy tune—for free.

*Enter the 8-digit code and a monetary donation will be made to help provide one meal through Feeding America's network of food banks, up to a maximum of 3 million meals for codes entered through 8/31/12. Valid in U.S. only. $1 donated = 8 meals secured by Feeding America on behalf of local food banks.

Disclosure: I have been compensated for this post and my participation in the Child Hunger Ends Here campaign. That said, anecdotes and opinions are my own and not influenced by anyone.

The golden ticket: Child Hunger Ends Here

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I've been blogging here on Grandma's Briefs for nearly three years. In that time, it's been interesting to go from scrounging for opportunities to review products and services to now getting so many offers that I end up turning down—or ignoring—more than I accept.

While it's cool to have gone from populating the Back Room first with reviews on cleansers and frozen foods to recently getting free clothing and nifty gadgets to try out, the golden ticket for most bloggers—for me—is that elusive offer to become an ambassador for a company, a cause. Ambassadors are handpicked to help promote products and campaigns. They have important duties to perform. They make a difference. And they get nifty badges to decorate their blogs.

Well, folks, I have finally received a golden ticket. And I must say, it is the most golden of golden ticket opportunities because it's for a cause I feel strongly about: child hunger.

I'm honored to announce that I am officially a blogger ambassador for ConAgra Foods’ Child Hunger Ends Here campaign. Now in its third year, ConAgra's Child Hunger Ends Here campaign strives to raise awareness of child hunger in our nation's communities and infuse hope into the fight against it. The campaign goal: Donate five million meals this year to Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization. I look forward to helping ConAgra reach that goal.

With all the cool campaigns and worthy causes out there, why is this one particularly close to my heart? Because as a child for whom making stone soup was not just a story but was at times a reality, child hunger mattered. When dandelions were once pulled from the yard to be cooked and served for dinner because there were no other fruits or vegetables in the house, child hunger mattered. And when one's mother often ate ketchup or mayonnaise sandwiches—nothing but the condiment between two slices of bread—in order to save the nutritious food for her seven kids she'd become single mother to, child hunger mattered.

As a grandmother, child hunger still matters to me. For the second blogiversary of Grandma's Briefs last year, I made a small difference by donating money toward child hunger relief. I now have the opportunity to make an even bigger difference as a blogger ambassador for the Child Hunger Ends Here campaign. Grandmothers are well-known for their penchant for filling the tummies of loved ones, so I consider this my golden grandma opportunity to help fill hungry tummies far beyond just those of my own grandsons.

And there are an overwhelming number of hungry tummies out there. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, food insecurity—the inability to access enough food to live active, healthy lives—affects more than 16 million children in the United States. I find that heartbreaking on so many levels. Here is just one story:

 

My job as ambassador is to raise awareness of the Child Hunger Ends Here campaign. Over the next few months, I'll be posting campaign news and notes. This is just the beginning; I hope you'll follow along with me through to the end.

Easy ways you can help:

Visit www.ChildHungerEndsHere.com to download original versions of the campaign's original song, Here's Hope, written by Hunter Hayes, Luke Laird and Barry Dean with three versions recorded individually by Jewel, Owl City and Jay Sean. While there, enjoy exclusive content from each artist and support the campaign goal of donating five million meals to Feeding America.

  • To participate, purchase specially marked packages of select ConAgra Foods brands (see list below), then visit www.ChildHungerEndsHere.com to enter the eight-digit code.
  • For each code entered, the equivalent of one meal—up to three million meals*—will be donated to Feeding America and one version of “Here’s Hope” can be downloaded.
  • Codes (from packages specially marked with the red push pin) can be redeemed through August 2012.
  • In addition to downloads and access to cool content, you can also submit your zip code to enter your local Feeding America food bank into a competition for an 80,000-meal donation. At the end of the campaign, ten food banks in the zip codes with the most entries receive the donation courtesy of ConAgra Foods.

ConAgra Foods brands participating in Child Hunger Ends Here include:

  • Banquet
  • Chef Boyardee
  • Healthy Choice
  • Hunt’s
  • Marie Callendar’s
  • Manwich
  • Orville Redenbacher
  • Peter Pan
  • Snack Pack

*Enter the 8-digit code and a monetary donation will be made to help provide one meal through Feeding America's network of food banks, up to a maximum of 3 million meals for codes entered through 8/31/12. Valid in U.S. only. $1 donated = 8 meals secured by Feeding America on behalf of local food banks.

And there's more: You can also participate in Child Hunger Ends Here discussions on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ConAgraFoods. Plus, tweet along on Twitter by following www.twitter.com/ConAgraFoods and using the #ChildHunger hashtag.

Disclosure: I have been compensated for my participation in the Child Hunger Ends Here campaign and all posts, tweets and updates related to the campaign. That said, anecdotes and opinions are my own and not influenced by anyone.

Oh so Bubby

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Megan—my daughter and Bubby's mommy—posted this on her Facebook wall yesterday:

So we just recently sponsored a little boy named Bairon from Ecuador through Compassion. At breakfast today I asked B what he thought Bairon was having for breakfast. Shrugging his shoulders he said, "I don't know, Chinese food?" Trying not to laugh I asked why he would be eating Chinese food. He replied back with a 'duh mom' attitude, "Cuz he speaks Spanish!"

Definitely in the running as one of my all-time favorite Bubbyisms.

Tired of me begging and pleading yet? I am! But... If you liked this post—or Grandma's Briefs in general—please vote for Grandma's Briefs in the About.com Favorite Grandparent Blog poll. Vote once per day through March 21. Thank you!

Today's question:

What did you have for breakfast? (Bonus points if it included something Chinese...or Spanish.)

The Saturday Post: Just-a-Little-Heart-Attack edition

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On the plane ride home Thursday night, a relatively young woman seated behind me was telling her seatmate, a stranger, about having recently survived a heart attack.

When my plane landed and I turned on my phone to text Jim that I'd arrived, my e-mail automatically downloaded to my phone, and one was an e-mail from Jim's brother-in-law requesting prayers for Jim's sister, who had gone to the hospital because of heart pains.

Then, yesterday morning I received an e-mail from Klout that I had earned a special "perk"—a director's cut of a video starring and directed by Emmy-nominated Elizabeth Banks, made for the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women movement.

I'm not incredibly superstitious, but I think three's a sign...that I'm supposed to share this with the women in my life:

For more information about women and heart disease—which, as mentioned in the video, kills more women than all forms of cancer combined—visit GoRedForWomen.org.

Have a heart-happy day!

Today's question:

How has heart disease affected you or the women in your family?

The Saturday Post: Playing For Change Day edition

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Today is the inaugural Playing For Change Day in which, as the organization's site says, "musicians are taking to the streets and stages in their communities to raise funds and awareness for Playing For Change Foundation, a non-profit organization that is bringing music education programs to children around the world."

Inspiration from the ever-awesome Playing For Change:

Make music, make a change...even if only in your home, your heart.

Happy Saturday!

3 life skills grandparents can (and should) instill and encourage

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Grandparents matter. As a site coordinator for the local Children's Literacy Center and in my own personal experience, I continually see ways grandparents make a difference—for harried parents, for folks who interact with the grandchildren now and in the future, and, most importantly, for the grandchildren themselves.

Specifically, I consider grandparents prime influencers who can and should take advantage of the endless opportunities to instill and encourage, among other things, these three very important life skills:

READING: As coordinator of a program that requires participating students to spend 15 minutes a day reading to or with an adult, of course I'm going to say that grandparents can help their grandchildren read. But I'm not talking just about kids with reading challenges. And I'm not talking just about sharing a book together now and then. I mean that always and in all ways, grandparents should stress the importance—and the enjoyment—of reading. It's possibly THE most important life skill a child can and should master. Every chance you get, read to him or her, or have the child read to you. Read books, comics, websites, the newspaper, magazines, recipes, road signs, maps and more. Long-distance grandparents can share books on Skype and through online services such as Readeo, Story Time For Me and others. Give books, magazines, graphic novels, how-to guides as gifts, and request the same when asked what you want for Mother's Day, Christmas, birthdays. Have reading materials on hand, as well as in hand.

Lessons are always reinforced by modeling, so model the life of a reader. Grandchildren will remember such things as seeing Grandma reading craft instructions and the daily news—online or in print—and Grandpa poring over maps, manuals, cookbooks. Model, model, model! It's the simplest, most subtle way of effectively instilling a desired behavior.

MANNERS: Politeness goes beyond "please" and "thank you" and table manners, although those are indeed biggies. But manners include things like punctuality, thank you notes, and RSVPing—one way or the other—when requested. How best to encourage such behavior? Again, by modeling such behavior. Be on time, send thank you notes, and RSVP when invited to a grandchild's function, even if an RSVP wasn't specifically requested. Point out the importance—and benefits—of being on time, whenever you have been, whenever possible. Send thank you notes to grandchildren when they give you ANYthing. Every.Single.Time. Those cards will be cherished as much as the lesson. And never fail to RSVP, even if it feels silly. Calling a grandchild to say "Hey, I just wanted to RSVP to your program (or party or recital or game)" makes it clear how easy, appreciated, and downright awesome the whole RSVP thing can be.

SPEAKING: Everyone likely agrees that kids should read and be polite. But I also think kids should be capable participants in discussions...or at least capable of speaking for themselves when spoken to. One of my pet peeves is kids who cannot (or will not) respond when adults say "hello" to them or offer little beyond a perfunctory glance and a reluctantly mumbled "hi." Toddlers are toddlers; I understand. But they should know from an early age that when an adult friend or family member speaks to them, the polite thing (see above) is to respond. By the time a kid is a teen, there's absolutely no excuse for not responding.

When my girls were teens, a few of their friends thought nothing of never acknowledging parents in the room—even when I spoke directly to them with something as simple as "Hey, how are you?" Gah! I currently have students who when asked what they've been reading or what their favorite part of a story was, Mom or Dad (and sometimes even Grandma) will tell me that little Junior loved this or that. No, I want to hear Junior tell me. Just let kids talk. The more they do it, the better at it they'll be come. Even the shy kids. Honest.

Grandparents can encourage grandchildren to comfortably and appropriately speak up by allowing them to place their own orders with restaurant servers or speak to librarians and cashiers themselves, and by not allowing grandchildren to slip in and out of a room without politely saying "hello" or otherwise acknowledging adults who are present, be they friends or family. Most importantly, grandparents can and should have discussions with their grandchildren about nearly anything of interest to the child, teaching grandkids what enjoyable conversing looks like, feels like.

Fortunately grandparents—in most cases—are not responsible for the day-to-day tasks and challenges of raising their grandchildren. But with myriad opportunities to instill and encourage important life skills, grandparents can certainly have an impact on some of those challenges and be the difference that helps their grandchildren succeed.

Today's question:

Which of the three life skills above do you recall being encouraged by one or both of your grandparents?

Everyone's a winner on my two-year blogiversary!

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Grandma's Briefs is two years old!

On July 25, 2009, I launched Grandma's Briefs, my space for sharing brief—and some not-so-brief—ramblings, with THIS. It didn't get a single comment.

Undeterred, I plodded away as if what I had to say mattered. Every day I'd post, every day I saw more and more visitors stopping by to read those posts. Some would even comment. Eventually I felt like what I had to say really did matter. YOU made me feel like what I had to say mattered...and continues to matter.

There's no doubt that Grandma's Briefs made it to the two-year mark because of you, the readers. Without you, I'd have quit long ago. And I'd like to show my appreciation for that with a gift.

Every person who comments to this post through July 31 will be entered in a random drawing for a Grandma's Briefs canvas tote filled with goodies the little ones in your life will enjoy, goodies that correspond to the little ones in my life. Meaning, of course, Bubby and Mac. What could such goodies be? Well, no profundity here, I assure you, but in honor of Bubby there are bubbles, and in honor of Mac there is mac & cheese.

Yes, indeed, a Grandma's Briefs/Bubby and Mac goodie bag for one lucky winner:

But wait, there's more. I've also thrown in five books I received for review in the past year. Just for you, not the kiddos. I think you'll like them. I did.

But wait, there's even more: Only one person will win the goodie bag, but every person who comments will be a winner by making a difference in the lives of hungry children. And how's that? Well, for every comment this post receives through July 31, I will donate $2 (because, ya know, Grandma's Briefs is TWO) to either the No Kid Hungry/Share Our Strength campaign or the UNICEF/Crisis in the Horn of Africa program. The winner of the goodie bag will choose which cause shall receive the funds, in the name of Grandma's Briefs.

So here's all you need to do: Comment on this post. Yep, that easy. The more comments, the larger the donation. Plus, you'll be entered into the drawing for the Grandma's Briefs/Bubby & Mac goodie bag.

Comment to this post by midnight MDT July 31 answering the following two questions (two because, ya know, Grandma's Briefs is TWO):

1. What Grandma's Briefs post of the past year was memorable for you, made a difference to you, mattered to you...or made you grunt, groan, or snicker? (No need for specific post title; just boost my ego by mentioning what you recall as the gist o' the thing).

2. If chosen as the winner of the Grandma's Briefs/Bubby & Mac goodie bag, which cause would you like the $2-per-comment donation to be given: the No Kid Hungry/Share Our Strength campaign or the UNICEF/Crisis in the Horn of Africa program?

Only one comment per person, please. Be sure to include your e-mail address when commenting (no one sees it but me) so I can contact you if you're the winner. Winner will be chosen by Random.org Monday, Aug. 1 and contacted by e-mail. Prize will be shipped to U.S. addressee only.

Thank you for two fabulous years! I look forward to the third and sharing it with you—people who matter to me, people who make a difference in my world!

The Saturday Post: Be Strong edition

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For most of us, the March 11 tsunami and earthquake that hit Japan was a heartbreaking but now distant story. For the mothers, children, and others of Japan, though, it remains a reality from which they're still working to recover.

HoriPro Entertainment Group singers Matt Palmer and Pascal Guyon, along with children ages 3-13 from the Los Angeles HoriPro Music Academy, created the following inspirational video to raise awareness of the continued need for relief aid for the mothers and children of Japan.

The Be Strong campaign offers three options for donating to charities focused on aiding mothers and children—UNICEF, Save the Children, or JOICFP—with 100% of net proceeds delivered to the organization of choice.

Today's question:

What is the worst natural disaster you have personally experienced?