What would you do to survive? Lie? Steal? Should a child ever have to do those things?

Ryan was a skinny 6th grader who wore second-hand clothes and was always in need of a haircut. He had few, if any, friends. I learned he lived with his grandma, who did her best to care for him.

A regular at one of Northmen Den’s middle and high school pantries, Ryan seemed ashamed to fill his grocery bags. While some children delight in finding their favorite foods on our shelves, he didn’t show a lot of joy.

One morning, Ryan packed four full bags of groceries and left to put them in his locker before his classmates arrived. Then, he strangely returned to the pantry with his head hung low and said, “I need to tell you something …” Ryan confessed he usually takes food for his grandma and him. But that day, he took an extra bag to feed his dad. You see, his dad is a landscaper, a seasonal job. And even when his father is healthy, there’s no work for him in the winter. “He’s so hungry,” Ryan said through tears. This 11-year-old felt like a liar and a thief when he took extra food. All I saw was a child in pain, forced to grow up too fast.