I met Tray at our Little Rock Dream Center a few years back. He was well mannered; did good in school and loved everything about sports.
When I received a message to pray for Tray I was in shock. He was being rushed to the emergency room. Tray wasn’t home but a few hours and he was headed back to the hospital. This time they found the problem and it changed the way I view hunger.
Tray’s blood test revealed he was suffering from malnutrition. Malnutrition is an issue we think children in other countries encounter. However, many children in Arkansas suffer from a lack of nutritious foods as well.
Tray’s body was missing the vitamins he needed to grow and it started eating muscle mass due to lack of protein. When Tray was describing his diet, he listed soda, hot chips, ramen noodles and mac and cheese as his main foods. His diet was pure carbohydrates and sugars. His malnutrition made him sick.
When we hear the word “hunger”, we often associate it with visions of empty fridges. The truth is that hunger goes much deeper. When children depend upon free and reduced school lunches what happens when they are out of school? They go hungry.
Many hungry children depend upon cheap, processed foods. These foods ease their hunger pains but simply add to their problems. Children like Tray are uneducated or completely unable to make these choices.
