Maryland Kindergarten Teacher Gives Food To Students' Families Struggling During Pandemic
SILVER SPRING, Md. (CNN/WJZ) -- The coronavirus has put a number of parents out of work. That loss of income has made it difficult for families to put food on the table.
One Maryland teacher is on a mission to change that.
One kindergarten teacher in Silver Spring is going the extra mile to make sure her students can eat.
Margaret Norris teaches kindergarten at Arcola Elementary School in Silver Spring.
"They don't understand that this is not normal," said Norris. "To them it is just school."
Norris said most of her students get free and reduced meals. But the pandemic has many families struggling to afford groceries. She said one lesson she doesn't want her young class to learn about right now is hunger.
"I do a lot of home deliveries. And there's one family I take bags to. And there's a little one, a three year old," she said. "And one week I had bananas in the bag and she opened up the bag and looked in it and looked at her mom and her mom nodded. And she picked up the bananas and hugged them and burst into tears. And that to me, is the definition of food insecurity."
Norris said her friends and family provide the money and then she does the shopping. One morning she was at the store by 6 a.m.
"I'm not feeding anyone's children for them. All I'm doing is the grocery shopping," she added. "I don't want anyone in my community to put a hungry child to bed."
Her co-workers say she's been working to get others involved.
"Margaret has been saying to everyone, she's not trying to save the world, but you can do all you can. Help somewhere. Help someone," said Emmanuel Jean-Phillipe.
"We're helping others. It makes me happy to know there's a child right now, who's having lunch. And they're having lunch because of our efforts," Norris added.
Norris said food is love and culture and community and that's what she wants her class to learn.
