Missing a meal in the Corbin household was never an issue. Before the sandman was wiped from my face, Mamma would ask what I wanted for breakfast. “Whatcha got?” I would ask. “Well, I have scrambled eggs, biscuits, sausage…grilled cheese.” Mamma would rattle off the contents of her refrigerator, all the while preparing my classic sandwich. “Cooked Cheese! That sounds good!” I never understood how she could have my breakfast on the table so fast. She knew me like the back of her hand. At lunch, there was usually something made with love. Mamma might pack a thermos full of piping hot soup, homemade cookies or even fresh tomatoes from the garden. She loved to doodle daisies on my little notes she would tuck into that old, metal lunchbox. Fried chicken or roast beef were Sunday lunch staples. There would be multiple sides, fresh-baked bread and Mamma’s crystal pitcher filled with sweet tea. Mamma always had a pot of something cooking on the stove.
Last spring, The Giving Table asked food bloggers across the country to write about American hunger. It still burns me up that there is even one child going to bed without supper in our country fat with wealth! Click here to read my post about why obesity and hunger are related and a few ways to cause shift and change.
The Lunch Box Fund is another campaign from The Giving Table. Click here to watch the video that inspired me to share their story. Their goal is to raise $5,000 to provide a daily meal to 100 South African school children for an entire year. I am a firm believer that if a child’s palate is developed at an early age, an open minded adult that child will become. By feeding a hungry child, you truly are nourishing your world. With the risk of sounding like a late night television infomercial, it is best to just share a few stats:
- 65% of all South African children live in poverty. Receiving food encourages these children to stay in school and obtain their education.
- Nearly 20% of all children in South Africa are orphans, with approximately 1.9 Million of those children orphaned as a result of HIV and AIDS.
- Lack of food can diminish concentration, erode willpower, and strip away a child’s potential. Compound that with prevalence of HIV/AIDS or the trauma of losing parents and loved ones, without food, a child’s attendance and performance at school is severely jeopardized.
- The Lunchbox Fund identifies schools or forms partnerships with locally based NGOs or community organizations in order to evaluate and identify schools. It funds distributers to buy and deliver food, monitor the feeding scheme, implement a Project Manager, and deliver reports back to them for evaluation.
In considering a $10 donation, I pondered upon what I have recently spent $10 on:
1 happy hour cocktail and appetizer from Pomodoro East
1 yoga class at Kali Yuga Yoga
1 Crema latte and a Olive and Sinclair chocolate bar
1 lunch for 100 South African school children…
Click here to join me in donating to The Lunchbox Fund…Feed a child. Nourish a mind.
The grilled cheese is still my favorite breakfast and lunch sandwich. After reading the ingredient label on a store bought loaf of bread, I started making my own. Rye bread with a smear of dijon serves as the perfect foundation for today’s lunch.
Lunch Box Rye
adapted from the Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer Recipebook
2 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon caraway seed
1/2 cup boiling water
2 1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast
6 tablespoons warm water
1 cup rye flour
2-3 cups all-purpose flour
place honey, molasses, salt, butter, caraway seed and boiling water in small bowl. Stir until incorporate ingredients. cool to lukewarm. dissolve yeast in warm water in warm mixing bowl. add honey mixture, rye flour and 1 cup flour. mix until a sticky dough forms. turn dough out onto floured surface. knead dough adding flour in small quantities until a the texture is smooth. place dough in greased bowl. cover with plastic wrap and let rise in draft free, warm environment for about an hour or when it has doubled in size. punch dough down and shape into round loaf. place on parchment lined baking sheet and cover. let rise again until doubled in size for about an hour. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes, until loaf is golden brown. Remove from baking sheet and cool on wire rack.
