One in five children in America go to bed hungry – learn how you can help

(BPT) - You may consider child hunger to be a world away problem, however, the reality is there are 16 million children right here in America who are faced with hunger. That’s one in five children who don’t know where their next meal will come from. When you think about that statistic, one of these children can easily be your own neighbor – or even your child’s best friend.

Unilever Project Sunlight, an initiative focused on encouraging people to create a brighter future for children, is rallying people nationwide to “Share A Meal” to turn the tables on child hunger in America. Award-winning filmmaker, Patrick Creadon, joined the effort and created a four-minute documentary "Going to Bed Hungry: The Changing Face of Child Hunger,” that takes an inspiring look at child hunger in America as told through stories of real families faced with the issue.

Creadon notes, “Going beyond donating – to sharing a meal or a moment of support – truly underscores that this is an issue that touches us all in every community in every pocket of this country. These are our children.”

Whether it’s sharing a meal, donating time or money, volunteering, or deciding to learn more – small steps can make a difference when multiplied over time to help end child hunger and build a brighter future for children.

Proving that no one is too young to do their part is hunger activist Joshua Williams. At age five and with just $20, Williams created Joshua’s Heart Foundation with a goal to stomp out hunger one community at a time. Now 13 years old, Williams and his organization distribute food to about 50 families each week and have delivered more than 650,000 pounds of food to date.

“I started my foundation because I didn’t want to see people go hungry,” says Williams. “Now, eight years later, I’m mentoring other kids to join in the fight against child hunger and teaming up with Unilever Project Sunlight to get even more people involved in the cause.”

Here are just a few suggestions on how you can get involved and make a difference:

* Help a family in your neighborhood: Share a meal with a neighbor. A simple dinner party, or even packing an extra lunch for your child to take to school, can go a long way.

* Partner with local organizations: Tap local community organizations to find opportunities to coordinate an event or volunteer your time.

* Coordinate with your local food bank: Get in touch with a local food bank in your area to help collect donations or even or host your own local food drive.

* Host a virtual food drive: Unable to get out of the house? You can create your very own personal food drive online to share with friends, family and colleagues for contributions.

* Donate: Consider donating to a child hunger relief organization.

* Lend your voice: Inspire others by revealing why you’re helping to end child hunger on social media using, “I #ShareAMeal because…”

Go to ProjectSunlight.us to watch the documentary and learn even more ways to get involved.