An English teacher in Nashville middle school is making a significant change in her classroom.
Tina Noel cleared her bookshelves to make space for imperishable foods and snacks for students.
According to Tina, many kids live off of school meals. It was only recently when she realized that if the kids were only eating school breakfasts and lunches, they must have nothing to eat during the weekends.
“I found out at the beginning of the school year that we had a population of students who, on the weekends and breaks, didn’t have the food that they needed,” Tina shared.
Because most children do not share their problems with adults, Tina knew she had to take the initiative and come up with something to solve their problem.
“That’s not something a child wants to tell an adult because, you know, it’s embarrassing,” she said.
To live a healthy and normal life, eating only five days a week won’t be enough. So the Nashville teacher posted a message on Facebook to seek food donations.
“I found out specifically about one student, and it broke my heart,” she expressed. “We supply free breakfast and lunch in Davidson County but when they leave on the weekends, a lot of these kids don’t have food.”
To make way for non-perishable food items and snacks, Tina cleared out the bookshelves in the classroom. The new food pantry is not only for the students in her class but for any student who wants to fill their bags with food before they go home.
All schools need teachers like Tina, who truly cares about their students and can sense when there is a problem. Please SHARE this post with your Facebook friends if you think schools should have this for students in need!