Hunger on Sesame Street and Dahlonega and Beyond

Meet Lily - Newest Muppet

Meet Lily. She's the newest muppet, who appeared for the first time Sunday on an hour long Sesame Street  that focused on hunger in America.

Lily, a cute little red headed muppet, is food insecure, which means she has limited or uncertain availability to meet basic food needs due to a lack of financial resources. According to Sesame Street statistics, 15 percent of U.S. households in 2009 were identified as being food insecure.

In Dahlonega and Beyond, unfortunately, the description food insecure  fits way too many children. A 2010 U.S. Department of Education report notes that 55% of Lumpkin County Middle School students and 50% of the Dawson County Middle School students qualify for free or reduced lunches. (A figure that's up 8 percent in Lumpkin and 11 percent in Dawson in one year.)

Children shouldn't go hungry. Remember that when someone asks you to donate to a food drive or help with a Feed the Hungry program.