“Sitting in a small, wooden chair in the principal’s office on a Monday morning shortly after the opening bell, Jake sat squirming as he tried to figure out how to answer the question. Growing impatient, the principal asked again, ‘Jake, please tell me why you stole your teacher’s lunch.’

“Another few moments of silence. Then, with as much courage and gumption as an 8-year-old, 3rd grader can muster, Jake said, ‘Well, I was hungry.’
“A bit exasperated, Principal Johnson said, ‘Yes, Jake, I’m a bit hungry myself as I only had a bowl of cereal this morning but that doesn’t mean I can take someone else’s lunch and eat it.’
“Another few moments of silence. ‘Sorry.’
“More silence. ‘But I was really hungry. You see, well, I, I did eat lunch at school on Friday. I, I was just so hungry.’

“’You haven’t eaten since Friday?’” Principal Johnson automatically blurted out.
“Embarrassed, Jake mumbles, ‘Yes ma’am.’
“The principal didn’t know what to do next. The teacher didn’t know what to do next. The school didn’t know what to do next.
“Situations like these exist in our North Texas schools and are what Out Hunger seeks to end. Out Hunger’s purpose is to increase the awareness of, raise money for, and encourage involvement in ending the cycle of hunger in our communities. We do this through single-day and multi-day events across Texas, the nation and a few other countries.

“Out Hunger started when I was out on a ride one day thinking of all the charity events I’d been a part of and thought, why not combine my passion for helping people eat with my passion for cycling. Well, it turns out those are widely shared passions. Bike Out Hunger, the flagship event of the organization has hosted five annual six-day rides across Texas and numerous single-day rides that have raised a couple hundred thousand dollars for the cause in just a few years.
“Through the efforts of North Texas Giving Day and a local single-day ride, in 2013 we were able to feed 650 kids every weekend through the school year as the money raised allowed Out Hunger to completely fund a new weekend backpack feeding program in the DFW area.

“Help us actively end hunger by donating to Out Hunger at North Texas Giving Day on September 18! Thank you to Communities Foundation of Texas, donors across North Texas and the cyclists for helping us out hunger in our communities.
“For more information on Out Hunger, its events and how we all work together to end the cycle of hunger, visit OutHunger.org.”
-By Rand Jenkins, Out Hunger Founder and Executive Director
* Graphic and photos provided by Out Hunger