Getting Rural Kids the Nutrition They Need to Learn This School Year
Kids struggle to thirst for knowledge when they’re hungry for food. Without regular access to nutritious meals, children’s performance and behavior in school suffers.
Hungry kids are more likely to have lower math scores, repeat a grade, come to school late, or miss school entirely. And 13 million children across America — 1 in 6 kids — are starting this new school year hungry. The situation is worse in rural America, as nearly 90% of the counties with the highest percentage of children at risk for food insecurity are rural.
Rural families may need to travel a few towns over, or more, to access a grocery store with fresh food, which can prove difficult without reliable transportation. And if rural communities are supported by a food bank, it’s not uncommon for that service to be provided only once or twice per month.
Save the Children staff, who lead early learning programs across rural America, are accustomed to seeing kids rush into school on Monday mornings, not to get to the day’s first class, but instead to eat the breakfast the school provides. For many kids, it’s the first balanced meal they’ve had since they left school for the weekend.
In rural southern California, inflation and limited job opportunities have greatly impacted the ability for parents Aracely and Edward to put food on the table for their four young children during the pandemic. Save the Children’s food box distributions in their community — which include fresh produce — have provided a lifeline for their family, and the healthy recipes that come in the boxes make all the difference, Aracely said.
“Eating healthy supports my children’s brain development — it helps them learn better,” she said.
Currently, the existing solutions to child hunger are not fully addressing the need in rural America.
The strengths and resources unique to every rural community need to be leveraged to ensure no child starts the school day hungry, and it’s going to take a collaborative, strategic approach to do this on a national scale.
Together, government agencies, schools, nonprofits, and community organizations not only need to improve food distribution approaches in rural America, but uplift new, innovative solutions — for Aracely and Edward’s children, and all rural kids — so they get the nourishing food they need to grow, learn, and thrive.
Why do you think it’s important to redefıne beauty standards in the Latinx community?
As a Latin woman, I recognize how important inclusivity is within the beauty industry, and how for so long, there’s been a lack of diversity in beauty publications and beauty campaigns, which contributes to the Latin community feeling underrepresented.
I resolved to curate my own world of what should be celebrated, and infuse my roots and culture into a brand that makes everyone — and especially the Latin community — feel accepted, embraced and recognized. Using product names like “Claro Que C” and “Agua Fresca”creates familiarity within our community, but also encourages others to be immersed in our culture, too.
A few years ago, you spoke out about those who doubted your Mexican identity. What did people mean by this, and what does Hispanic and Latino empowerment mean to you?
People have always challenged my Mexican identity — they don’t think I’m “Latina enough.” With my husband’s last name, Perkins, people have doubted my Mexican roots. But I’ve been so grateful to have been raised with such strong family values, with our family being at the center of everything I’ve ever done — the food, the language, the culture — it’s always been such a big part of my life, and it’s made me so proud to be Mexican. To me, Hispanic empowerment means to embrace our culture and be proud of where we come from, and have a strong sense of self.
How did your Latin American roots inspire your career?
I’ve drawn inspiration from my Mexican-American heritage throughout my career, and my cultural identity is a key element that fueled my creativity to start making makeup videos online. Everything I love about skincare was instilled from my family and their Mexican remedies, which is such a big part of my brand, DEZI Skin.
I loved learning about self-care and could see that beauty regimens were really meaningful to my family. Specifıcally, I found inspiration from my mom. She has always been a strong influence in regards to inner and outer beauty.
I remember aloe vera was the answer to everything. We always had aloe growing somewhere in the backyard, and we would cut them open to use on our body or face. My family also used to boil guava leaves and use the water on our skin. These moments from my summers in Mexico inspired DEZI Skin’s ingredients, such as Mexican plum fruit, mango, guava, and avocado.
What’s a message that you’d like to share with young Latina readers today?
As a young Mexican American, I couldn’t help but notice there wasn’t really anyone that looked like me growing up. I had a lot of identity issues, not quite checking the Mexican box or American box. I want young Latinas to know that there’s no perfect formula or ratio — you can balance both and just uniquely be who you are.
What can fans expect next from Desi Perkins?
After recently giving birth to my new baby girl, Harley, I’m enjoying being a mom and being present for my family. But DEZI Skin isn’t slowing down anytime soon — we have some exciting holiday launches and a spring launch mothers specifıcally will be excited about — stay tuned!