A Recipe for Taking Action Against Hunger

By Will Lourcey, generationOn Youth Advisory Council member

What can a kid do to fight hunger? That was a question I asked myself when I was 7 years old. I saw a man on a street corner holding a sign that read: NEED A MEAL. It made me sad inside, and I knew I needed to do something about it. But what could I do? I was just 7 years old.

Well, it turns out a kid can do a lot. I founded the youth led nonprofit Friends Reaching Our Goals, “FROGs.”  We’ve inspired hundreds of kids to take action in their community and provided over 200,000 meals for the hungry.

Here is my simple recipe for changing the world!

1. See a Need - I saw a man standing on a street corner, holding a sign that read NEED A MEAL. This was the day I decided to “Be a Doer, not a watcher.” Being a doer means acting and not waiting for others to address a problem. I could have waited and hoped someone else helped the hungry man, but I didn’t. I acted. Look around your community. Do you see a need? Something that could be improved or solved? Seeing a need in your community and becoming a doer is the first step.
2. Make a Plan - Decide who you might partner with to make the most impact and who might assist you with learning more about the issue or problem. I scheduled a meeting with the local food bank to learn more about the hungry and things I could do to help raise awareness and provide meals. I learned hunger affects over 48 million people in America. This awesome plan’s goal was to create fun to get other kids excited about fighting hunger and creating positive change.
3. Gather Friends - I gathered friends in my community to form a hunger fighting team. Everything is more fun when you are with friends! We designed fun events to get kids involved with fighting hunger. We held lemonade stands, yard sales, video game parties, baseball and soccer tournaments, dodgeball events all to raise awareness of the hungry and raise money to provide meals. FROGS would not be successful without this group of people coming together to make a difference in the community. I’ve learned that I can’t do everything by myself, but with my friends anything is possible.
4. Change the World - This was the easiest step because any action no matter how big or small was creating positive impact! By being “doers,” we were changing the world! When you act, you create a ripple effect. Other kids get inspired.  With the help of my friends, we’ve provided over 200,000 meals for the hungry and raised a ton of awareness! We are examples that kids can change the world!

My advice to kids wanting to improve their community is to act. Choose to do something rather than waiting for someone else. Always remember: No matter how tall or small you are...YOU can make a big difference! You’ll be amazed at how many people will join your efforts and help. All you need to do is choose to be a doer and follow the recipe!

Get started today at hunger.generationon.org.