BY MARK KLAAS

Reporter Newspapers

One look inside her best friend’s refrigerator seared a lasting childhood memory on Lois Brandt’s mind.

Looking for a snack, she was shocked to see it had almost nothing, except some condiments and one small lunch milk carton.

“She had saved the school milk for her little brother, who was too young to go to school,” Brandt recalled. “They had nothing. … I didn’t know what to do.”

That disturbing image later inspired Brandt to do something about childhood hunger. And to this day, the Issaquah woman writes about it, talks about it and finds ways to confront what is, in fact, a national crisis.

“If we’re really going to beat this, we need to look at why people don’t have enough money to feed their kids,” said Brandt, a former Peace Corps volunteer, and author of “Maddi’s Fridge” (www.MaddisFridge.com), a children’s picture book that asks the question: what do you do if your best friend’s family doesn’t have enough food?

Brandt is a children’s fiction writer whose work has appeared in Highlights and other magazines. She believes her new book, “Maddi’s Fridge,” illustrated by Vin Vogel, is the first picture book to address childhood hunger in the United States.

For Brandt, the problem is a shot to the heart.

“Food insecurity means an empty refrigerator. Food insecurity means soda instead of milk. Food insecurity means a child coming to school hungry and unable to focus,” Brandt said. “Poverty may not look exactly the same in our country as it does in a war-torn region or a developing country, but it is affecting our children and their futures.

“Sometimes, working parents have to choose between rent and food, medicine and food, or gas and food,” she added.

While most Americans will worry about eating too much this holiday season, 16 million of the country’s children live in households that struggle to afford food, according to a 2012 report from the United States Department of Agriculture.

To address the problem, Brandt, a volunteer for the Issaquah School District, visits schools, where as she sees hungry kids and needy families.

In lieu of appearance fees, the touring author urges schools to organize food drives. Ten percent of the proceeds from her book’s sales go to hunger solutions.

Brandt’s book provides a gently-told, age-appropriate storyline for kids to get the message. The story is not just about hunger, but also friendship.

Brandt, who has a master’s degree in fine arts from the Northwest Institute of Literary Arts, has served as a Peace Corps volunteer in West Africa. She has seen the sights, sounds and sorrow of hungry people – near and far.

“Hunger is already in the schools. They are your friends and neighbors,” Brandt said. “So the question is … what to do?”

Brandt suggests ways for you to help prevent childhood hunger, such as supporting food banks and nonprofit organizations, or volunteering during the busy holiday season with your family at a shelter or a food pantry. Your efforts and kind words can become a fond, lifelong memory for a child, or remind adults that other people care, and that they’re not alone, Brandt said.

Parents should also talk to their children about childhood hunger and how they can help.

“Rather than sheltering your children from this sad fact of American life, talking to them about it can help nurture their compassion and empathy,” Brandt said.

Taking action teaches children that they can change the world for the better.

“There’s a secret around childhood hunger, and we can’t fight it until we really recognize it and start digging in,” Brandt said.

Mark Klaas: mklaas@auburn-reporter.com

Maddi’s Fridge is available at independent bookstore, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.