Youth Against Hunger Education Curriculum

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Thank you for your interest in The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts’ Youth Against Hunger (YAH!) education curriculum. Volunteers and staff have created these materials to help teachers and educators implement classroom activities to get students involved with the issue of hunger in their communities. The curriculum is designed not only as a learning tool but also a starting point for service projects and other ways kids can make a difference.

We hope you enjoy using these materials. For additional resources, or to offer suggestions, please contact us at development@foodbankwma.org.

(Please note that all the links below are to downloadable PDFs.)

Part I: Introduction

Glossary of Terms

Food Bank Fact Sheet

Part II: Activities

Unit 1: Why Eat? The Meaning of Food

Understanding the Food System | Grades K-12 | 45 min.-1 hour 30 min.

By examining the many steps food goes through from the farm to the table this activity encourages students to think about where their food comes from, the impact of their own food choices and the benefits of purchasing local foods.

What’s for Breakfast? | Grades K-2 | 30-45 min.

Learning why breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

The Meaning of Food | Grades 6-12 | 45 min.-1 hour

A discussion of how food helps us connect with family, culture, and community.

Unit 2: Who’s Hungry? Food insecurity in the U.S.

Uncle Willie and the Soup Kitchen | Grades K-2 | 45 min.-1 hour

A reading-based activity to create awareness of hunger, poverty and the function of a meal site. A young boy volunteers with his uncle at a local soup kitchen. Picture book.

The Braids Girl | Grades K-2 | 45 min.-1 hour

A reading-based activity to increase awareness of the function of family shelters and people’s universal need for companionship. Izzy accompanies her grandfather on his weekly volunteer shift at a local shelter. While there she befriends another young girl staying at the shelter. Picture book taken from Chicken Soup for the Soul.

Tight Times | Grades K-2 | 45 min.-1 hour

A reading-based activity to understanding the underlying causes of hunger and feelings associated with it. This book is narrated from the perspective of a young boy whose father has just lost his job. Picture book.

Gettin’ Through Thursday | Grades K-2 | 45 min.-1 hour

A reading-based activity to understand the feelings associated with hunger and sacrifices families make to get by. Andre gets a good report card, but will his family celebrate when they’re waiting for Friday’s paycheck? Picture book.

No Home | Grades 3-6 | 30 min.

A one-page story told in first person, about a young homeless girl. Story taken from Chicken Soup for the Soul.

Sidewalk Story | Grades 3-6 | 3-4 hours

Lilly-Etta’s friend is facing eviction from her home. When Lilly-Etta decides to do something to draw attention to the eviction, she motivates others to do the same. Chapter book for young readers.

Hunger Survey: Version 1 | Grades 3-8 | 30-45 minutes

A true or false questionnaire, quizzing students to think about facts and myths surrounding hunger.

Hunger Survey: Version 2 | Grades 9-12 | 30-45 minutes

A true or false questionnaire, quizzing students to think about facts and myths surrounding hunger.

Hunger Continuum | Grades 7-12 | 45 min.-1 hour

This activity will help students think about the complexity of the term “hunger” and defines terminology used by the government and anti-hunger organizations.

The Wealth Gap | Grades 9-12 | 30 min.

This activity asks students to estimate the percentage of wealth owned by quintiles of Americans and to draw what their ideal distribution would look like. Use this activity to compare class results with those of a nationwide survey assessing attitudes about wealth perception and inequity.

Ten Chairs | Grades 7-12 | 1 hour

Students will gain awareness of the range and disparity of income in New England, by physically acting out the distribution of all income earned across ten chairs.

Making Ends Meet | Grades 7-12

Experience through a role play scenario, someone living with hunger. Students budget for a week’s worth of groceries after paying for living expenses.

How does the world eat? Snack Game | Grades 3-12

This activity helps increase awareness of the unequal distribution of resources around the world and its effect on hunger.

Hunger Banquet | Grades 7-12 | 3-4 hours

This activity, an adaptation of Oxfam’s Hunger Banquet, demonstrates the unequal distribution of food and resources in the New England region and helps participants understand some of the underlying causes of poverty and food insecurity that affect our communities.