I live in an upper-middle class suburb in a nice, comfortable house. I always have food on the table. I always get to see my family. I always have the money to afford most of what I want. I live a pretty nice life.
I have been blessed with a stable household that can afford to help me achieve whatever goal I set. I have been blessed with two parents that both have well paying jobs. I have been blessed with a family that has time for me.
Many students at Carlmont do not have that same luxury that I or many other students at Carlmont have.
Many students do not have the security of knowing that there will be food on the table. Many students do not get to see their parents everyday. Many students do not receive the attention they deserve.
There are many more problems on that list, but wondering if there will be food on the table should never be one of them because Carlmont should never allow its students to go hungry.
Schools were made with the primary purpose to provide an equal chance for every student to learn. A student must be able to focus his energy on school in order to learn effectively. When a student is tired from hunger or worrying about his next meal, then they are not focusing.
As a school, we cannot allow learning to be lost because students are hungry. The school and its students have to ensure that every student is well fed and can focus his efforts on learning.
Without focusing on their education, their chances of academic success goes down and their futures go with it. Hunger is a slippery slope to an endless life of poverty because, without a high-quality education, the chance for future success diminishes.
A high quality school is supposed to provide equal opportunity to every student no matter his socioeconomic class. A school can simply provide education and say its job has been completed, but that would be a great wrong to its purpose and goal. Such a school has only provided the education, and has not ensured the learning. It must go a step further and provide an environment conducive to fair learning by making sure that every child can focus on his schoolwork.
Recently, ASB had a can food drive and I do not believe, from what I saw, that the drive went very well. Members of ASB tried their hardest to get more people to donate and I applaud their efforts, however it was not enough.
They made the moral argument, that everyone should understand, that no one should starve and that people should do donate out of the kindness of their heart. I want to supplement their argument and remind everyone of the economic and social consequences of not helping their fellow classmates.
Although the drive has ended, I want everyone to keep bringing in cans and food. I am sure that no food will be turned away and every bit counts. If ASB does not accept it, bring it to the office. Do whatever it takes to provide food to the needy because it is one step in the fight against poverty.
When one donates, one is not only doing the right thing, one is doing the smart thing. One is helping another’s struggle to escape the vicious cycle of poverty, simply by giving him a chance to eat.
