In the dim glow of a fading evening, 8-year-old Achieng sat in a mud-walled kitchen, her tiny hands clutching a battered aluminum plate — empty. The only thing on that plate was her reflection, and even that seemed to flicker with sadness. Her stomach growled, but she remained still, trained by hunger not to cry. This was normal. Hunger had become routine.

Achieng’s mother, a widow with four children, had gone to sleep without dinner herself — again. “I’ll be okay,” she would whisper to the children, “God sees us.” But how long could one live on faith and borrowed hope?

When our team first met them, their pantry was a shelf of cracked cups. The family had lost nearly everything to prolonged drought and rising food costs. Still, they welcomed us with a smile. Still, Achieng asked us one question: “Can we have lunch today?”

That question broke us. But it also moved us to act.

Because of people like you, Achieng did eat that day — and the next. Through our Food & Nutrition Support Program, we began monthly food distributions to dozens of families like hers. Today, her plate holds rice, greens, and occasionally a treat. But more than food, it holds joy, energy, and dignity.

Her eyes no longer flicker with despair — they shine with purpose.

One plate. One child. One difference.

You never know how powerful one meal can be.

Let’s keep filling plates — and hearts — together.