St. Louis, MO (KMOX) - There's a sturdy wood table on the sidewalk outside a white two-story home in the city's north side Penrose neighborhood. That table is for lunches. It's Champale Anderson's home, headquarters for Champ's Teardrops. "The teardrops stand for the sadness in the situation," explains Champale.
Listen to our feature on Champ's Tear Drops
She explains her kids' friends would come spend the night, and complain of hunger. "And we don't realize what most kids go into when they go home. You know, bad situations, abuse, all that. And it's a real problem with hunger."
Her yard and home are well kept. Steps painted a brick red from sidewalk to cozy porch, to match her home's roof. But next door, there's a building with broken out windows. And overgrown grass is overtaking the other sidewalks around the block. Inside the homes in her neighborhood, there's grave need -- empty refrigerators and pantries. "You know, a lot of parents are on drugs, you know, and they're in bad situations. I asked God, I'm like, this is not for me. What's the plan? And He gave this idea to me, but I didn't even, you know, pursue it until like two months later. And He said, today's the day. I had $7. And I took it to Aldi's and bought a pack of cookies and a pack of bologna and some bread." She made 10 bags that day. By the end of the week, 50. And now she made several hundred peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the bags she packs.
Megan: How much do you think you spend a week on, I mean, just bread alone is expensive.
Champale: Yes. Well, I'm figuring maybe 400 a week that I don't have. But I have supporters that they send me supplies. They send me gift cards and stuff like that to help out. I've encountered a lot of good people doing this here.
Megan: What's it mean to the kids that come and are able to get a lunch from you?
Champale: Those kids are truly grateful.
Champ's Tear Drops takes donations of dry goods including breakfast items and chips, along with peanut butter, jelly, juice, and supplies like paper sacks and sandwich bags. You can also help Champale and Champ's Tear Drops with monetary donations to the account $champsteardrops on CashApp or Champ's Teardrops on Go Fund Me.
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