Going to Bed Hungry ...

I don't know about anyone else but I have this really bad habit of wanting to eat before I go to bed. I'm trying to break it and if I just HAVE to eat something, I try to make it healthy. So last night as I was thinking about NOT eating before bed, I thougt about why I eat before I go to bed. I sleep better. I don't sleep well when my stomach is growling at me. If I do manage to fall asleep despite that little growl, I wake up in the middle of the night. So either way, I don't get a good night's sleep.

So what about those individuals, children and adults alike, who go to bed hungry every night. They most likely don't get a good nights sleep and that effects the entire next day. Again, when I don't sleep a few things happen. First, people really don't want to be around me, I am not a happy person. More importantly, my thinking is affected, my ability to learn is affected and my eating and exercise habits are affected. If I'm so tired that I can't think straight, I certainly do not want to cook. I want the quickest and easiest food available to me. That generally tends to be fast food and well, that doesn't help my mind think straight either. I certainly don't want to exercise when I'm that tired. Yet, exercising helps me sleep (and work off that fast food I just ate). It's a vicious cycle that once started is hard to break. The cycle of poverty is much the same. Without the proper nutrition, people don't get a good night's sleep, then they can't function to their best ability during the day and most likely don't eat healthy or exercise and the cycle starts all over when they, once again, go to bed hungry.

By helping people get three healthy meals a day, you are helping break that cycle that keeps generations of families in poverty. The shevles are low this month at the South Plains Food Bank and the number of people coming in are high. Next time you go grocery shopping, think about buying a few extra cans of food and donating them to the South Plains Food Bank.

Thank you for all you do!