Most meals find us eating until we’re full and beyond. Why stop before it’s gone? Your own munchers may serve as the poster family for the “eyes are bigger than the stomach” habit. If that’s the case, help your children gain a better grasp on their gullets by encouraging them to step into a world where a hot meal is a luxury and going to sleep hungry is too often the norm. Call a local soup kitchen and ask if you and your family can spend a day helping out with whatever needs to be done. You won’t be turned away.

The people who come for food often have no viable alternatives. They lack funds to buy a meal but their children need to eat. Your own kids may be shocked to see others their age in line. Although they dress differently, they’re the same hungry crowd you’d see at school. They just need a little extra help right now.

That’s why you’re there. Have your children serve food or set tables. Encourage them to strike up conversations; show them how. The Bible says we should share with our needy neighbors (Deut. 15:7–8) and never feel more privileged or deserving. That’s a key concept and a simple one. God loves us, and He doesn’t want any of His children to go hungry. He is, after all, the Bread of Life.

By helping make a meal for someone else a reality, your children will gain a new perspective on their store of snacks in the cupboard. Grateful or not, they live in a home of plenty. God wants them to share what they have—be it food, time, or money—and rejoice in the chance to fill the emptiness of someone in need.