J Lo Brought to Tears by Teacher’s Heartbreaking Post of Hungry Student, Pledges 1-yr Food Donation

(Getty Images | Sergi Alexander)

First-grade teacher Brooke Goins of Jacksboro Elementary School in Tennessee knew that many of the kids in her classroom struggled with food insecurity in one way or another. What she didn’t know was that if it weren’t for her school, some of them might not be eating at all.

For one student in particular, if he couldn’t get the usual donation from the guidance counselor who came by the school with donations from Mount Paron Baptist Church, he would be going without food altogether.

When she realized how hungry this student must be, Goins broke down in tears. Banding together with other teachers, she bought the boy enough food to last a few weeks and posted about it on Facebook. The story of this hungry child went massively viral and even drew attention from celebrities who helped set up a food pantry at the school.

Brooke Goins loves her job despite the many challenges involved in keeping 20 children aged 6 to 7 focused on learning. When she found out that one of her students was in need, she was ready to act immediately. What surprised her was just how little chance the child had of getting food at home. As she explained in her Facebook post, the boy asked her for “those little o’s,“ as he made a small circle with his hand. ”[W]e don’t have those at my house, but when I do have them they give me a warm belly and help me sleep”—his words as recalled by Goins.

As Goins told WBIR in Knoxville, “It broke my heart, because I knew he couldn’t do his work if he was hungry.” Getting contributions from her fellow teachers, she went to Wal-Mart to buy the young boy what he needed, including applesauce, beef jerky, and his favorite, SpaghettiOs. As she wrote, her motivation was simply to feed a hungry child, “I want people to know that teachers are humans, we love your kids and want the very best for them.”

Despite the United States being one of the wealthiest countries in the world, over 10 million households are food insecure according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, meaning they struggle to put enough food on the table for all the members of the family. When students are affected by hunger, it dramatically diminishes their ability to learn.

According to a survey by the organization No Kid Hungry, when dealing with hungry students, “80 percent of teachers see them lose the ability to concentrate and 76 percent see low academic performance.” This, of course, doesn’t include the physical effects of hunger such as weakened immune system and delayed development.

For the teachers at Jacksboro Elementary like Goins, making sure their kids have the best opportunity to learn means making sure they have enough to eat. “We don’t know what our students go home to,” Goins’ fellow first-grade teacher Brittani Stooksbury told WBIR. “I want them to come to school knowing that we care about them and we love them.”

After Goins’s post went viral, donations started pouring into the school for hungry kids, with over 250 boxes being donated and over $1,000. The teachers were surprised and touched by the response. “We did not expect all that and everybody’s been offering to donate or to help in any way that they can,” Stooksbury explained. “That’s really going to make a difference for our kids.”

When Stooksbury and Goins approached their principal with the idea of setting up a permanent food pantry specifically for their elementary students and their families, the answer was enthusiastically affirmative. “They were absolutely on board with everything,” Goins said. Soon, the teachers had some support from two very special donors who were moved by what the school was doing to take care of its kids.

Actress and singer Jennifer Lopez and former baseball star Alex Rodriguez heard about the food pantry and wanted to help. As Lopez explained in an Instagram post, “When we saw this story, it brought tears not just to my eyes, but Alex’s as well!” In a video chat conversation with teacher Goins and her class, Lopez noted that her mother was a teacher, and this inspired her to get involved.

As co-owners of the company Tiller & Hatch, which makes affordable, nutritious frozen meals that are designed to be heated in pressure cookers, they donated a year’s worth of supplies to Jacksboro Elementary. Both Rodriguez and Lopez came from working-class families who struggled financially. As they explained on their Facebook page, “We believe every family—no matter their budget—should be able to share wholesome, healthy meals together that are easy to make (and tasty!)”

Lopez wrote, “We are happy to be in business with partners who also believe no child should EVER have to go to sleep hungry.” She considered it one of the best things their nascent business had been able to do thus far and her “favorite moment of the month.”

What started with a hungry child and a caring teacher has now reached an impressive scale and underscores the importance of fighting children’s hunger to make sure the next generation has a chance to learn.