This Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week, FRN is sharing stories from the hunger-fighting nonprofit partners in our network. Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission serves hurting and homeless people in Seattle with recovery services. They provide summer camps for over 650 children throughout our community.

Here are some quotes from their White Center Summer Camp 2015. These are powerful reminders of hunger’s weight on kids, and also of kids’ amazing capacities for compassion.

Dario - Age 7:

“At summer camp, I love to go to recess and play. I play basketball. My favorite food is hamburgers and salad.”

Mickey - Age 8:

“I like the sandwiches here. At summer camp we go on field trips often. They are fun! We go to the zoo, the aquarium and the roller skating rink. I've had to go to school hungry lots of times. When I'm hungry I feel like I'm about to die. I'm starving to death. When my second grade teacher yelled at me I was grumpy and yelled back.

I saw the homeless on the street. I started crying because I didn't want him to die without food. My mom gave him some money.”

Isaiah - Didn't ask age:

“I like that at summer camp they treat everyone with respect and give everyone something to eat. Sometimes I've had to go to school hungry. My favorite food is pizza!”

Aileen - Didn't ask age:

“At summer camp we have fun. I love the sports time and I get exercise. The sandwich I ate a couple of minutes ago was good! My all-time favorite food is mangos and strawberries.

Every single night I stay up to 10 or 11pm. I'm hungry. When I have a small breakfast I get hungry again but I have no courage to tell my dad. Hungry feels like getting sick.”

Mahlet -Age 11:

“In the park she saw a homeless lady. Felt sad for her, it wasn't her fault. Had money and gave it to her. I felt better. I gave her my sandwich and fries.”

Liliana -Age 8:

When camping he went a whole day without eating. “I sometimes go to school without lunch. It made me feel sick. The food here is good! I like the taste. My favorite is the sandwiches. I'm a picky eater. I'll eat the ham and the mustard, then shove it all in my mouth.”

Jaden -Age 10:

“I like the meals here, they have lots of flavor. The best is one roast beef sandwich! My friend Jocelyn sometimes goes to school without lunch. And my friend Abby doesn't have breakfast.”

Thank you to Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission for their community service in combating hunger on a daily basis.

Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission works with Food Recovery Network of UW at University of Washington.