Food.

It’s comfort. It’s life-sustaining. Experimental or traditional. Nouveau or classic. It’s pedestrian to one, pretentious to another.

Food varies from culture to culture—and tells the stories of our families, experiences, customs, and moods.

To me, food truly is one of my favorite pleasures in life.

To a great many in the world, however, food is something else. It’s struggle. It’s an overwhelming anxiety, a choice between equally important resources that contribute to our survival. It’s largely making due, while ever-so-rarely relishing a forbidden luxury when opportunity arises.

Though I’ve never wondered where my next meal would come from or whether I could clothe my family for winter and put dinner on the table, too many throughout the world face such realities every. single. day.

Today, a day on which I typically indulge and take for granted a plate that’s always plentiful, I’m joining dozens of other food bloggers and dedicating my post to The Lunchbox Fund.

The Lunchbox Fund has been feeding impoverished and orphaned schoolchildren since 2005. It brings communities together with the help of small local businesses and entrepreneurs, and provides vulnerable students with healthy meals that nourish their bodies and minds.

[photo courtesy of The Lunchbox Fund]

From today until February 16, a fundraising effort by The Giving Table is underway, with a goal to raise $5,000—enough to provide a daily meal for 100 South African school children for an entire year.

Food is not only necessary for our day-to-day survival; adequate food—meals that are well-rounded and nutritious—is essential to educational and social growth.

Consider these statistics:

• 65% of all South African children live in poverty. Receiving food encourages these children to stay in school and obtain their education.
• Nearly 20% of all children in South Africa are orphans, with approximately 1.9 Million of those children orphaned as a result of HIV and AIDS.
• Lack of food can diminish concentration, erode willpower, and strip away a child’s potential. Compound that with prevalence of HIV/AIDS or the trauma of losing parents and loved ones, without food, a child’s attendance and performance at school is severely jeopardized.
• The Lunchbox Fund identifies schools or forms partnerships with locally based NGOs or community organizations in order to evaluate and identify schools. It funds distributers to buy and deliver food, monitor the feeding scheme, implement a Project Manager, and deliver reports back to them for evaluation.

[photo courtesy of The Lunchbox Fund]

Though food hasn’t always been such an interest to me, it has been—and remains—central to many of my most cherished memories, especially those from my childhood.

None of those memories evoke worry, stress, or unrelenting hunger. Rather, they are cheerful and remind me of loved ones no longer with us: my grandparents and their crispy fried shrimp (fresh from the Gulf of Mexico) or my aunt and her pumpkin pie, made especially for me.

I also remember fondly my school lunches—peanut butter sandwiches (since I was too picky for anything else) and heart-shaped notes from my mother (no, I didn’t eat those!).

We always hear how breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but I’d argue that lunch is; lunch sustains young students through hours of learning and testing and allows for coworkers to mingle and share ideas.

Until I was much older (middle school age), I wouldn’t eat deli meat or a variety of soups and other dishes. Unless your child has a nut allergy (for which there are substitutes like sunflower seed or soy nut butters), this easy, but delicious, sandwich will be a winner for even the pickiest eaters.

Grilled Almond Butter and Apple Sandwich

serves 1

Ingredients

• 2 slices whole wheat bread
• 1-2 Tbsp almond butter (I used Justin’s maple)
• ¼ apple of choice, thinly sliced
• a sprinkling of cinnamon
• butter, coconut oil, or butter alternative

Directions

1. Heat a grill pan or skillet to medium.
2. Spread a light coating of butter, coconut oil, or alternative onto one side of each piece of bread.
3. On the opposite side of one piece of bread, spread 1-2 Tbsp of almond butter; top with apple slices, a sprinkling of cinnamon, and the remaining slice of bread (butter side up).
4. Cook on each side for approximately 3-4 minutes until golden brown and crisp. Slice and serve immediately.

To round out the meal, serve with baby carrots, broccoli, and sliced cucumber or a simple side salad. When I pack sandwiches for lunch, I also like to snack on baked vegetable chips or kettle-cooked potato chips.

As you prepare lunch—whether for yourself, your spouse, or your own child—take a moment to reflect on your privilege.

If it’s within your means, please consider making a donation to The Lunchbox Fund—just $10 (or a week’s worth of lattes) can feed a child what may be his or her only meal of the day.

To learn more, visit The Giving Table’s campaign page—or follow them through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The Giving Table

Twitter: @thegivingtable / #feedsouthafrica
Facebook: facebook.com/givingtable
Instagram: #feedsouthafrica
Causes: Campaign Page

The Lunchbox Fund

Twitter: @thelunchboxfund
Facebook: facebook.com/thelunchboxfund

And remember,

“It is our moral obligation to give every child the very best education possible. In order to learn, children need to be nourished. The Lunchbox Fund ensures that every child is equipped to embrace the future and change it for the better.” — Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu