Writer’s Story Confirms Children Can’t Learn When Hungry

Sandra Davis Mercer/S.C. Daily Gazette

I am 76 years old, and I still remember the feeling of going to school hungry.

Hunger is not just an empty stomach. It is a constant distraction, a quiet anxiety, and a barrier to learning that follows a child into the classroom.

I support Gov. Henry McMaster’s proposal that all children eat breakfast at school for free. That should include lunch too.

When people debate whether schools should provide meals, I often wonder how many of them have lived that reality.

As a child and teenager, I experienced chronic hunger.

My mother raised eight children while working as a domestic worker, earning $25 a day plus bus fare. After rent and bills were paid, there was very little left for food. She was resourceful beyond measure — taking flour, water, and sugar to make bread, adding jelly when she could — and sending us off to school.

We walked nearly 10 miles a day because there were no buses. Government-issued cheese helped, but it was never enough.

Those memories are not distant. They are vivid, and they are painful. Hunger made it difficult to concentrate, to retain information, and to feel confident in the classroom.

When a child is hungry, learning becomes secondary to survival.

Unfortunately, this is not just a story from the past. Many families across South Carolina today face similar choices: rent or groceries, utilities or meals.

According to Feeding America, one of every six children in South Carolina live in food-insecure households.

These children arrive at school carrying burdens no child should have to bear.

Expecting children to be attentive, engaged, and successful while they are hungry is unrealistic. Nutrition is foundational to learning, health, and emotional regulation.

Research consistently shows that access to nutritious food improves attendance, behavior, and academic outcomes.

This is why policies that expand access to school meals matter. They are not about charity or convenience. They are about access to education and opportunities to succeed. When we ensure children are fed, we give them a fair chance to learn, grow, and thrive.

My commitment to this issue is both personal and lifelong.

As a young adult, I served as an outreach minister through my church and completed studies at Bethel Bible Institute and Hartford Seminary.

Professionally, I worked with geriatric patients, individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and later as a radiology technologist at a hospital for special care.

Community service has always been central to my life.

Since moving to South Carolina, I have continued this work through child advocacy.

I am involved with Save the Children Action Network and the Early Childhood Common Agenda, a statewide coalition advocating for young children and families. Our priorities include access to high-quality early childhood education, comprehensive health care, early intervention services, housing stability, and nutritious food for all children.

I want to be clear and transparent: My advocacy work is voluntary and motivated by lived experience and a belief that children deserve better. I receive no financial benefit from policies related to school nutrition.

Children are South Carolina’s most valuable asset. Protecting their mental and physical well-being should never be controversial. When we feed children, we are not just addressing hunger, we are investing in education, health, and the future of our state.

No child should have to try to learn while hungry. I know, because I was one of them.

Sandra Davis Mercer is a longtime community volunteer and child advocate with experience in outreach ministry, health care, and disability services. She works as a volunteer with Save the Children Action Network and the Early Childhood Common Agenda to advocate for children and families across South Carolina. She lives in Columbia.