First and Foremost----

     What is it that children need???It seems like common sense, but often I see children who don't have these things:  food, shelter, clean clothing, safety and love in their lives.  How do we get all parents to place their priorities on providing for their children's needs first?  How many of us see parents who smoke, drink, play the lottery, do drugs and buy themselves the latest gadget before they make sure their children are provided for? 
     There are safety nets available in our society.  They may not make any family rich- but families can apply for food stamps, heating assistance, free medical and dental care and even subsidies for child care.  Many communities have a food pantry where emergency food can be provided.  There are second hand shops where anyone can buy good used clothing at a fraction of the cost of new clothes.  Then there are people in communities who help needy families especially on hoilidays.  It is sad that with all these opportunities for help, there are still children whose basic needs are not being met.
     I am afraid that very few of these parents will ever change.  ( Although I personally know of a parent who turned her life around and does a great job of providing for her children.)  Where do we start?  I think each of us has to reach out to parents such as this and "butt in" as my children would say. Often we have to befriend these people first and let them know we truly care about them.  Then, we need to let them know that it is not acceptable to deny their children their basic needs.  We have to model what a good parent does for their children.  Many of these parents did not grow up in a family where their own needs were met.  Finally we can direct the parents to places where they can obtain services, education about nutrition, financial budgeting, meal preparation and parenting skills.
     However, first and foremost, we each need to take some responsibilty for the children in our communities.  This can be done through school activities, church groups, youth organizations etc.  It may be the case that the parents of these children are not ever going to change.  In that case, we need to do all we can to provide for these children and teach them so that someday, they will provide for their own children.  It is never hopeless.  We can help children such as these, one child at a time.