The Gaston Gazette
As a child growing up in Queens, New York, Kelly Whitesides knew what it meant to worry about where her next meal was coming from. I know how important this program is, she said, as she stood with her husband Sam in the BackPack Weekend Food Program warehouse on Linwood Road in Gastonia. I was one of those kids when I was young, she continued. I like the way this program works. I like the way the kids receiving the food are not singled out or embarrassed. I like the good this program does.
Whitesides had volunteered with the program several years ago, but she and her husband, Sam, had their interest renewed when they read a recent front-page column in
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No college course in classroom management. No theories of learning styles. No student teaching.
Here s your room. Here s your desk. Sink or swim. No floatation device provided.
I learned a lot and I learned it all very quickly.
One of the very first things I learned was that a teacher has to keep food in the classroom. Packs of Lance peanut butter crackers. Granola bars. Apples. Bananas.
A literal grab and go such as the Hampton Inn might provide.
The reason that cache of food was a necessity? Hungry kids can t learn. Hungry kids can t focus on the intricacies of Macbeth. Hungry kids can t write a strong thesis statement.
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