Warm and Safe

My son Eric took a large box that I had laying around and decided that he was going to make a house. I thought okay this will be a mess that I will have to clean up later. I took this picture one morning when I checked on the kids before I left for work. At first I just thought it was a cute picture and we would get a laugh about it later. Later it struck me as a perfect opportunity to share with him how fortunate we really are, thousands of Americans use boxes just like his for shelter every day.

Did you Know:

• At least 1.35 million children are homeless during a year’s time.
• One any given day 800,000 people are homeless in the United States, including 200,000 children in homeless families.
• Families with children are among the fastest growing segment of the homeless population.
• Most children living with homeless parents are very young (42% are under the age of 6 years).
• Family homelessness is increasing. Requests for emergency shelter by families have increased every year since 1985, with an average increase of 20% in 2002.

Share with your children how fortunate we are to be warm and safe and lend a helping hand if you ever get the opportunity

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