World Hunger: Can One Cracker Make a Difference?

momparenting

I visited the India Gate today.

My camera battery didn't charge, so I started taking video, using my FLIP camera. And here's what I encountered as I was filming.

Yes! Those are children. Tiny children. Tiny, begging children. In the middle of a park. Next to a monument. So cute. So hungry. So little.

"Do I keep filming? I wondered. "Do I give them some money?" "Should I give them the M&Ms that somehow made their way into my bag. If my child were starving, I wouldn't want him to have M&Ms, but they've got to be better than no food at all, right?
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I reached inside my bag, saw a couple of packaged crackers I had from my flight and grabbed that instead and handed it to the little girl.
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She madly tried to tear into the package, focused and hurried, and keeping it all to herself. The boys started inching closer, then tried to take the package from her. I thought there was going to be an all and all out tiny child brawl right in the middle of the park. My heart broke, realizing it wasn't the typical (typical for me anyway) kids fighting over a toy they both wanted to play with—a want—but rather a piece of food—clearly a desperate need.
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I reached into the middle of the chaos and took back the package of crackers. All eyes were now on me. I opened the package, took out the two crackers, broke each of them in half, and gave each child an equal share. They shoved it into their mouths and downed it in 2 second flat. Then, immediately put their hands out, begging for more food or money.
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I squatted down on the grass to be eye level and hugged one of the boys. He just stared at me.
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I would love to think that a half of a tiny cracker made a big difference for these kids' tiny tummies. But in reality, I knew a hug would go farther and while it may not change world hunger and it may not quiet growling stomachs, I hope it filled his heart in some small way.
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An active part of the Mom It Forward team, Jyl primarily writes about parenting, social good, and all things travel related. In a past life, Jyl was an award-winning copywriter and designer of corporate training programs for Fortune 100 companies. Offline, Jyl is married to @TroyPattee; a mom to two teen boys and a beagle named #Hashtag; loves large amounts of cheese, dancing, and traveling; and lives in the beautiful Rocky Mountains. Topping her bucket list is the goal to visit 50 countries by the time she's 50.

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