Bunchland

Meet Lily

Sesame Street will introduce Lily this Sunday in a new special, “Growing Hope Against Hunger.”

Lily is meant to represent the 1 in 4 American kids who are “food insecure” and don’t know where their next meals come from. Some Sesame Street muppets, joined by country star Brad Paisley and his wife, meet Lily collecting food at a food drive and community garden.

This Sesame Street special is all about the importance of community. From the news release:

“Together, Lily’s family finds strength in helping others who are experiencing similar circumstances. Through animations and songs, the Sesame characters understand what Lily is going through and how their simple actions, such as planting a seed, can make a world of difference. The special’s documentary stories share children’s perspectives on food insecurity and illuminate the impact hunger has on families.”  Read more...

Joanna Goldberg sends biweekly communiqués from Kenya, where she’s living with her kid

When you live in Africa, it isn’t long before you settle on a strategy for handling the daily stream of requests for handouts. Mothers ask for bread and milk for their babies. Children follow you with sponsor sheets for their school uniforms. Men ask for money, even one shilling.  It’s not that there aren’t homeless people back home, but it’s easier to overlook someone sitting on a curb with a plastic cup half full of change than it is to ignore a barefooted boy gripping my daughter Cameron’s shoes as I give her a piggyback, pleading quietly but firmly, “give me your shoes…give me your shoes” for the length of three blocks.  Read more...