A girl writing in a notebook indoors — Lyla enjoys drawing, writing, and other creative pastimes. With five other people in the house, sharing space and finding time for her own hobbies can be difficult.

Lyla’s Story: Hunger in Working Families

It’s Monday morning, and seven-year-old Lyla’s day is off to an early start.

She and her nine-year-old brother, CJ, wake up before most of their peers. They get to school before classes start so that they can get a meal from the free breakfast program. While she’s waiting in line, Lyla checks the cafeteria lunch menu. Whatever is written there is what she’ll be having later today.

Like millions of children across the United States, Lyla relies on the National School Lunch Program for consistent meals. Although the program provides much-needed support, it doesn’t solve the problem of hunger. On weekends, school breaks, and dinnertime throughout the year, kids like Lyla are still at risk of missing meals.

A mother and her two children hugging while sitting on the front porch of a house — *CJ, mom Zoe, and Lyla.*

Both of Lyla’s parents are hardworking. They do their best to provide for their children and make sure that Lyla and CJ aren’t affected by the financial situation. But times have been tough for the family. In their home state California, the cost of living has increased by over 40% in the last decade. Housing costs are nearly double the rest of the nation’s.

Lyla’s family have done their best to cut costs. She has older siblings, twins, who moved back home with the family. They had been attending college out-of-state; today, they’re enrolled in community college. After the family’s car was stolen, rather than replacing it, the family turned to public transportation.

Even with their best efforts, the family still sometimes struggles to make ends meet. When extra expenses threaten to overwhelm the family’s budget, Lyla’s mom, Zoe, turns to a local Feed the Children community partner for help. There, she is able to get food as well as household and hygiene items the family needs.

A brother and sister hugging while sitting on a porch — *Lyla and CJ outside the family home.*

“I appreciate all the help that you give to families,” Zoe says. “I know that there are still good people in the world. You can’t beat the blessing in that.“

By Friday afternoon, Lyla is eager to head home for the weekend. She and CJ meet up with Zoe, an educator for special needs kids, outside the school. The three board the bus together to head home.

Lyla has a full weekend planned: drawing, playing with friends, and seeing if one of the twins can take a break from studying long enough to take her to the park. But what’s not part of her weekend is hunger – thanks to your support.