When Lisa started her first day at Macy's Elementary School, she skipped all the way to her classroom. She was finally big enough to go to school. She'd watched her older brother succeed and soar in grades and in sports. "You're going to be a good student just like your brother, aren't you? I can just tell." said her teacher. That was Lisa's plan.

But then life dealt her some tough blows. Her parents were laid off and couldn't find work. The family had to move to a part of town that scared Lisa. Her parents were taking any low paying job they could get and were hardly at home anymore. It was all dreadful and frightening, but the worst was being hungry.

17 Million Families in America don't know where their next meal is coming from. It's an awful statistic. But what is truly tragic is the plight of the hungry and how living without good, healthy food ravages and undermines struggling Americans.

Look, the research is clear: The body will do whatever it takes to stay alive. If it doesn't get the nutrients it needs, it takes it from the body: Calcium from bones. Protein from muscles - even vital organs.

As horrible as that sounds, living it is far worse.
Remember the last time you came down with the flu?

· That sinking feeling when your energy just disappeared.
· Your mind was fuzzy; you just couldn't think clearly.
· You were easily angered and defensive.
· You barely had energy to move.
· You had little appetite for food and could hardly sleep at night.
· All you wanted to do was to go home and be alone.

Add to this, an aching emptiness in your stomach and you have a glimpse of what it's like to live with hunger.

"I cry because I'm hungry," Lisa, 6th grader, Philadelphia, PA

Children living with hunger perform badly in the classroom and in sports. They get angry easily. They're depressed. They have trouble with authority and making friends. They can't concentrate. They crave junk food. They are unmotivated and feel hopeless.

Now, Can You See Why?

YOU Can Help Alot by donating to Nourish America and spreading the word.

Nourish America goes beyond just feeding America's hungry. We empower them with foods and vitamins packed with nutrition. Once their bodies have the essential nutrients they need, in short time, they can switch from starving to thriving.

"My daughter was always getting colds and flus that would end up in the emergency room. The whole winter she has not been sick." Keona Ward-Taylor

"My children express themselves more. They are less stressed. They are kinder to me than before…" Erma Robertson, Riverside, CA

"Before Nourish America, I never got an 'A'. Now I get all 'A's' and I'm going to be a doctor!" Michelle, 6th grader living in a public housing project in Washington, D.C.

With hunger rising in America at an alarming rate and available funding decreasing, 2011 was a tough year. However, for some, it will go on record as a year of hope. Hundreds of parents and teachers shared the extraordinary improvements they saw in their children and experienced in their lives.

"My child is smiling again! Thank you, Nourish America!!" Daphne Johnson, Queens, NY

You can help stop hunger from ravaging girls like Lisa and help them make their own dreams come true. We are counting on your support. $1 Nourishes TEN.
Give today!