Updated: 07/29/2009 8:15 PM KSTP.com | Print |  Email
By: Leah Mclean

MCLEAN: Is Helping Kids Controversial?

Who can argue with helping kids in need? Apparently there are a few people out there who think it's a bad idea. This summer 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS is teaming up with Hope for the City on a program called Lunch Box for Kids. Today volunteers ran a phone bank collecting donations. We also ran a news story profiling a single mother who says she needs help feeding her four kids.

After the story ran, a few emails came in criticizing the mother, who's disabled, for not having a job. One viewer wrote, "Do a story on how irresponsible she is for having 4 kids she can't afford. " While there are obviously varying opinions on who should be eligible for public assistance and who should not, my question is why should children have to suffer? The woman we talked to had a string of bad luck with her health, her relationships and her job. Even so, if parents, in general, make bad decisions, should their children pay the consequences?

The Lunch box for Kids program works to make sure that children in need, for what ever reason don't go hungry. These are kids who want to play in the summer time, just like kids all over Minnesota. Why should they have to worry about going hungry? It's one thing to blame adults, but the kids don't yet have a choice.