Heart, Soul, & Cereal

After meeting families who couldn’t afford to put food on the table, Megan Shea and Chip Heim started The Soulfull Project, a “buy one, give one” line of hot cereals.

- Neil Zevnik

“Visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads.” At this festive time of year, the lucky among us are happily enjoying an array of holiday treats. But the spirit of the season also encourages us to be aware of those less fortunate—especially when it comes to food.

Over 40 million Americans are “food insecure,” which is defined by the USDA as “a household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food.” This means that almost 13 percent of American households, including 13 million children, have to reduce or skip meals and have little or no access to nutritious provisions. And sometimes, they go an entire day with no food at all.

When we see this condition portrayed in Tiny Tim’s family in “A Christmas Carol,” it seems distant and almost charming. But the reality is harsh and injurious, and especially painful during the holidays, awash in societal good cheer.