“I’m hungry” echoes in homes everywhere, often before backpacks even hit the floor and students kick off their school shoes. It’s a refrain as common as the afternoon sun, often met with the rustle of snack bags or the hum of microwaves. But in some households, that simple declaration hangs in the air, unanswered. Some see a minor inconvenience easily solved, while others face a stark reminder of empty pantry shelves and refrigerators.
When Scott Blackwell learned about his granddaughter’s surprising after-school hunger one day, his reaction sparked an initiative.
“One day, she’d come home and told her mom she was hungry. Her mom said, ‘Well, you had your lunch,’” Blackwell shared.“‘No, I gave it away. There was some little kid who didn’t have the money. He wasn’t going to be able to eat, so I gave him my money where he could eat.’ I decided maybe we need to do something because a lot of these kids eat at school, and that’s all. A lot of us don’t think about that.”
Now, Blackwell thinks about it daily. He’s not just thinking about it, though. He began immediately searching for ways to cover lunch at local schools for any child unable to pay for a standard lunch. His lunch assistance program, NOKIDGOESHUNGRY, settles local students’ unpaid lunch accounts.
When the logistics weren’t as straightforward as expected, Blackwell didn’t give up. It seemed it could be as easy as taking a lump sum check to area schools that they would debit for students’ lunches. It wasn’t. He can, however, pay a school’s outstanding student lunch balance at the end of the school year.
So far, the program has benefited Highland Rim and South Lincoln schools, but the program doesn’t exclude any city or county school wishing to participate.
NOKIDGOESHUNGRY is funded entirely by donations. Like many initiatives, spreading the word is often the first and most significant hurdle.
“Getting people to trust this is legit was probably the toughest thing. Everything that’s donated goes straight to the schools. Nobody’s being paid out of this for doing it. No money comes out of the account unless it’s rolled to a school,” Blackwell said.
But as word has spread, the community’s support is growing.
“The community is what makes it happen. They’ve been outstanding. Palatec and their employees jumped in and gave us a hand, and Voodoo Customs started helping us. They’re actually now doing fundraisers at car shows to [raise money]. Carter’s Towing usually helps with everything I do,” Blackwell explained.
His motivation isn’t from a personal experience with hunger but an overall desire to make a difference in children’s lives.
Blackwell said, “It’s just something I’ve always wanted to do. I hate seeing any kid go without, or anybody in general. I just want to make sure there’s somebody out there watching out for them.”
He watches out for our community in other ways, too.
Blackwell, an employee of NASA in Huntsville, owns Blackwell Towing. The towing company sponsors free skate nights for local kids at Star Wheels, pet adoptions from the local humane society, and the Kids Fishing Rodeo. The company provided funding for the Lincoln County High School boys soccer team to reseed the field and purchase uniforms.
Last year’s trunk-or-treat event was such a success that the company repeated the event this year.
“I think our biggest thing is our location. It’s easy to get in and out. Several people called after I posted it on Facebook last year and said, ‘Hey, do you care if I come set up there?’ You worry [with new events] if this thing is going to fly, then I think we had four or five people who ended up setting up on their own, and it was a pretty big deal. We were packed for about two hours straight.”
In addition to supporting local youth, Blackwell looks out for all of his neighbors. One way he does this is by offering free transportation on New Year’s Eve to prevent drunk driving. Another is to assist at no charge during extreme winter weather.
Blackwell credits the community for the success of all his endeavors.
“They support anything we’ve ever done. They’ve been awesome,” he stated. “Anything that we do, they’re right there. I don’t think you can find a better community.”
Blackwell’s various initiatives demonstrate the profound impact one person can have when addressing community needs, from ensuring local students have a standard lunch to ensuring safe roads on holidays. The growing support from local businesses and residents alike turns individual acts of kindness into a community-wide movement of caring and support. It’s a powerful reminder that the strength of a community lies not just in the actions of one but in the collective response of many. GN
