When I first met Billy Shore in his capacity as a staffer for Senator Gary Hart in the 1980's, I did not expect him to become one of my personal heroes. After Hart left the Senate, Shore decided to dedicate his life to feeding the hungry of America. This has evolved into "Share Our Strength" which fights hunger, especially among American children, on a daily basis. This inspired organization has fed tens of thousands of children and reminds us on a daily basis of the unbelievable facts about hunger in America.

Just take a look at the statistics provided by "Share Our Strength":

-36.2 million Americans are at risk for hunger.
-12.4 million of them are children who are constantly at risk for hunger.
-11.1% of American homes suffer from food insecurity (where they will get their next meal)
-37.3 million Americans live in poverty with 13.1 million being children.
-300,000 more children are living in poverty than a year ago.
-18% of all American children now live in poverty. That is approaching one out of five!
-Childhood hunger impedes growth and development, causes poor mental health and more illness.
-Children who are hungry have impaired cognitive functioning, poorer grades, repeat grades and miss school often.

You can help "Share Our Strength" by going to their web site and assisting in a huge number of ways. Here is a video about their work: