Food ideas for hungry football player

[agnes]

Tonight, we just found out that one of LBIL's teammates is not getting enough food at home.

For example, he asks parents if there's dinner tonight. They say, "Yeah, we got pizza." When he gets home there's only one slice left for him. This is after an 8 hour football practice.

Apparently LBIL has been taking him granola bars, apples, etc. Is there any other way to get him healthy food that will fill him up for longer periods of time?

He doesn't live far from us and we've told him he can come over anytime (just like any of LBIL's friends).

[LoveTrains]

This is so heartbreaking. Can you invite him over for dinner - on a specific day/time or for example after football practice? I think it is easier to accept when it seems like there is a specific plan other than just "you can come over anytime."

[agnes]

Good idea. We will have to try that.

[agnes]

From what I understand there is only the one slice of pizza and nothing else not just pickiness.

I was thinking more of the kind of food that would keep in a backpack with out refrigeration.

[Becca]

Instant oatmeal packets, milk boxes (ultra pasteurized don't need refrigeration), instant meal cups (ravioli and what not), beef jerky, etc. fresh fruits and veggies are good, with some sort of protein and carb?

Poor kid. I think this is way more common in some areas than people realize.

You are kind to want to help.

[agnes]

Aug 20, 2012 22:49:32 GMT -5 kooshball said:

LBIL is a new one... whats that one mean?

Can you send "LBIL" with lots of snacks to practice to share?

LBIL = little brother-in-law

I also have an LSIL.

[agnes]

Aug 20, 2012 22:57:11 GMT -5 Becca said:

Instant oatmeal packets, milk boxes (ultra pasteurized don't need refrigeration), instant meal cups (ravioli and what not), beef jerky, etc. fresh fruits and veggies are good, with some sort of protein and carb?

Poor kid. I think this is way more common in some areas than people realize.

You are kind to want to help.

Great ideas! Thank you.

[steph96]

What about finding a way to help his family get food? Food stamps, food bank, church programs...?

[bliss]

Here's where I'm lost and please correct me if I'm wrong....... If this boys' parents can pay for him to play on a football team than they should be able to supply more than just pizza. Cereal or maybe macaroni and cheese.

I'm also wondering how old this kid is? When I was in high school I always complained about not having any food in the house. We did. Even if it was cereal, sandwiches or oatmeal.

As for your question, oatmeal, granola bars, fruits, minute mac, etc.

ETA - If the family is really truly poor than maybe you could help provide some resources. Church food programs, food stamps, etc.

[steph96]

Aug 20, 2012 23:07:20 GMT -5 bliss said:

Here's where I'm lost and please correct me if I'm wrong....... If this boys' parents can pay for him to play on a football team than they should be able to supply more than just pizza. Cereal or maybe macaroni and cheese.

People have different priorities on where their money goes. The parents may be putting all their money towards him playing football in hopes that he will get a scholarship to college and end up getting a good job.

[bliss]

Aug 20, 2012 23:12:35 GMT -5 steph96 said:

Aug 20, 2012 23:07:20 GMT -5 bliss said:

Here's where I'm lost and please correct me if I'm wrong....... If this boys' parents can pay for him to play on a football team than they should be able to supply more than just pizza. Cereal or maybe macaroni and cheese.

People have different priorities on where their money goes. The parents may be putting all their money towards him playing football in hopes that he will get a scholarship to college and end up getting a good job.

Perhaps. I don't know a parent though that would pay for football in the "hopes" over putting food on the table.

I could be wrong.

[WOT?*]

Bliss, you're wrong. There are plenty of low income and very low income that put their kids in sports to keep them occupied and out of trouble and to give them skills in the hope it will get them out of their homes and into a better life, whether it be through paid sports, Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCA (scholarships) or whatever. LeBron James, for example was the son of a convict and a teenage mother who started in Boys and Girls Clubs and PeeWee football and earned his way into St.Mary St. Vincent on scholarship. (I was a local during his draft year so this is easy/common knowledge.)

I like Clif bars and heavier breakfast bars and oat bars rather than the fluff oatmeal bars. Apples, dried fruit, nuts, trail mix...

[Deleted]

So wrong bliss. We always had junk food (ramen noodles, spaghettios, Mac and cheese) but we rarely, or never, had fresh bread, meat, fruit, or veggies--only if my grandma visited and brought it with her. My littlest brother's belly was constantly bloated as a result and I'm sure we were all nutrient deficient. Can't actually tell because we couldn't afford to go to the doctor and my dad refused to seek assistance. we couldn't pay the mortgage ever so our home was foreclosed on and nipsco shut off our power on the regular.

Both of my brothers played football. My eldest brother ended up getting a football scholarship to one of the highest ranked (academically) schools in the US. He is set. It's quite the gamble, but when you have *nothing* to lose, why not? When you know what little you have cannot even adequately feed and house your children, you begin to look at options a little differently.

Personally, I knew sports wouldn't be my answer so I quit as soon as I was old enough to work legally and I got a FT job during high school and started bringing home food "because I didn't like what we had" - this was a lie to avoid making my dad feel like more of a failure. There wasn't enough and it was all shit.

Moral of the story? Don't make assumptions and leave some kid hanging because of them. You don't know the story and it's rarely that simple.

[Becca]

Aug 21, 2012 4:36:56 GMT -5 tacom said:

So wrong bliss. ... My littlest brother's belly was constantly bloated as a result and I'm sure we were all nutrient deficient. Can't actually tell because we couldn't afford to go to the doctor and my dad refused to seek assistance. ...

... When you know what little you have cannot even adequately feed and house your children, you begin to look at options a little differently.

...

Moral of the story? Don't make assumptions and leave some kid hanging because of them. You don't know the story and it's rarely that simple.

I agree. I used to run a daycare in a low income area, and I started serving a 'late day' snack (at dinner time) and was routinely sending kid's home with dry cereal and other nonperishable stuff in their pockets so that I knew they would have *something* to eat that night. The kids that were always hungry weren't necessarily the ones I would have expected from looking at their families either.

I figured at the very worst I was wasting some money and sending food that would be thrown away. But at best, I was helping some poor kid's that would otherwise be hungry.

I know at my high school, if you demonstrated economic need, you got to play sports for free.

I am going to trust OP that she knows what she is doing. And if this young man is taking her for a ride, oh-well - better than being worried that the kid is always hungry.

[Deleted]

My aunt had a girl over to her house every night for dinner after band practice for this reason. It's really sad. Maybe you can establish a night or 2 where he does come over to dinner and then have a deli sandwich/pb&j sandwich to send home with him the other nights?

[Brie]

Peanut butter is cheap, high calorie, and non-perishable. The fat in it keeps you full for a long time, too. I have to shovel it into everything DH eats to keep weight on him, and it would go well with the granola bars and apples he's already getting from BIL. I'd also look into protein bars like Clif Builder bars--those would be easy to slip into his bag.

[Deleted]

Just because a kid plays a high school sport doesn't mean they have money. A lot of the high school sports in the inner city where I work are funded by outside sponsors. They do loads of fundraisers to pay for the kids who can't afford uniforms and supplies. If money was a factor I know a lot of kids who wouldn't have played sports at my school. I don't think people realize how much schools and coaches foot the bill for that sort of thing.

[thedash]

OP, you are a good person for worrying about this boy and helping him. You have gotten some good suggestions, but I definitely agree with setting a standing dinner invite - for example, come have spaghetti with us every Thursday after practice.

[Deleted]

I agree with inviting him over for dinner at a specific time. Does LBIL live with you? If not, could you talk to his parents? If he and his friend eat lunch together, LBIL could always start packing extra food and saying he brought too much. That might be a way to get the friend more food without making him an obvious charity case in front of the other kids.

You're a good person for being concerned about this kid.

[smiley]

I agree with setting a couple days a week for him to come over for dinner. Maybe MWF or something so at least during the week he has a good meal and you could pack him food for the other days.

Also, would a gift card to a grocery store help? He could go to the store to pick up foods himself for his family. The only problem I would see is if the parents got the gift card and used it for alcohol or cigarettes.

[agnes]

I went to bed shortly after I last post. Sorry to leave you hanging.

Yes, LBIL lives with us. He is 15 years old and just about to be a Sophomore once school starts.

LBIL is taking more food with him to practice today. H is actually going to talk with the kid tonight after practice. We're going to invite him over to have dinner at least for tonight and go from there.

[statlerwaldorf]

No sports for poor people!

Many sports organizations have programs to help disadvantaged kids play sports. They look good on college applications, could lead to a scholarship, teach a good work ethic, build confidence, keep kids off drugs, and keep kids out of trouble. Plus not all schools have pay to play.

Around here the income limit for food stamps is 130% of the FPL. It is possible to be above that limit and still have trouble making ends meet. Even if they are below that limit, that does not mean they automatically get the max benefit and it is quite easy to run out of food especially with as much as active teenage boys eat. There are a lot of people that are too proud to ask for help or believe they will not qualify because there are people worse off than themselves. Locally the food bank is only open from 10-12 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It isn't an option for people that have to work during those hours.

What about canned foods? I like spreading canned chicken on Triscuits. Not everyone likes tuna, but that could be an option. There are canned chicken and tuna that come in a little pack with crackers and a little spoon. Nuts would be a good option too. I don't know much about them, but what about protein shakes or muscle milk or something. Peanut butter is cheap and can go a long way. Beef jerky.

[zitiqueen]

Aug 20, 2012 23:26:36 GMT -5 bliss said:

Aug 20, 2012 23:12:35 GMT -5 steph96 said:

People have different priorities on where their money goes. The parents may be putting all their money towards him playing football in hopes that he will get a scholarship to college and end up getting a good job.

Perhaps. I don't know a parent though that would pay for football in the "hopes" over putting food on the table.

I could be wrong.

Oh, yeah, you are.

I have a co-worker whose cousins stuck their 17-year-old son on a plane to Italy to play professional basketball in the hopes that he would make it in the NBA and they'd all get rich. This kid had no real world skills or experience at all; all he knew was high school basketball. They didn't care; they just saw dollar signs. He lasted about a month before he was crying to come home.