Spotlight: Illinois Educators Shine in Explore.Act.Tell Program!

Health educator, Katie Lindo, and Math educator, Amanda Walker, facilitated the Explore.Act.Tell. Program with their team at Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School in Bradley, Illinois.

Q: Please describe your students project!

A: One of our groups is finishing up their food drive this week. They created a social media page, speciality food drive days, and created an announcement to be shared building-wide all week. Not only did they get food donations, but a QR code was created for monetary donations as well. Our second group has a goal to collect specific food to create a breakfast box and a snack box for our Friday distribution. They brainstormed specific items that can be used for multiple breakfast type meals and decided snacks were a great idea because our food pantry’s target audience is high school students. This group is learning to network and trying to connect with community resources. Our last group is working on organizing and putting together bags for our students each week. They are building shelves, choosing food to put in the bags, and packing bags each week for distribution. 

Q: What did your students learn throughout the Explore.Act.Tell. Program?

A: Submitted by their student– The Explore. Act. Tell. program has taught me how much of a problem hunger truly is in the world. After a lot of time and research, I learned that in Illinois alone there is a food insecurity rate of 9.5%, which continues to rise. Through this program I have learned the importance of helping those around us. I've learned everyone is put in a different situation and we can all help each other through kindness. Not receiving enough food can cause physical issues and impact the ability to learn. Food insecurity is a growing issue and has a large impact on people all around us. I have made it my mission to help as many people struggling with food insecurity as possible. We can't succeed without each other!

Kudos to their dedication and hard work!