As a blogger and a mom of 3 boys, nothing makes me smile just a little bit wider and brighter than when I get to be part of a campaign or a project that gives my kids and I the opportunity to do good.  Enter Post Champions for Kids (#PostCFK) and their Post Bowls of Hope project, an initiative that brings people together and gives them an opportunity to give back to local food pantries.  The concept is simple.  Gather your family, friends, and co-workers to fight childhood hunger in the summer by hosting a Post Bowls of Hope food drive!  Ask each person to bring nutritious food items like Post cereals to donate to a local food pantry in your community. Once you have completed the project, share your report and photos with Post.

Post makes it easy & fun to give back to local communities with their "Post Bowls of Hope" project.

When I first learned of this program I was so excited to be part of it for two reasons. For one, we love Post cereals here in our house and it's a brand I respect a great deal. And two, I am always looking for ways to raise philanthropic kids.  It absolutely makes me giddy when we can take part in a project together and find ways to share in the joy of giving back while working together as a team.  I am so excited I'll get to share in this with them and experience the sheer joy of doing good right along with them!

For our Post Bowls of Hope project, we will be setting up a lemonade stand, which is something my kids and I do every summer and they always look forward to it so very much.  But this year, it will be set up a bit differently.  Instead of charging for cups of lemonade, we will be accepting food donations, and as a "thank you" for our wonderful customers and passers by, we will graciously offer them a cup of lemonade.  How's that for doing good and having fun?!

Did you know that according to the Children's Defense Fund on State of Children in America that more than 17 million American children are at risk for hunger every year?  And according to the UNICEF & Children's Defense Fund, today, over 24,000 children under the age of five died due to poverty, hunger, easily preventable diseases and illnesses and other related causes.  This saddens me beyond belief!  Although I try very hard to share information like this with my kids, sometimes it just too hard and too much for them to comprehend.  I like the fact that we can talk about things that are happening right here in our local community and can come up with ways to give back right here. 

When it comes to preventing childhood hunger, every little bit helps.

My oldest son, Nathan, and I recently went on our shopping trip to Walmart where we were able to purchase a box of Post cereal and plan on donating that when we host our lemonade stand food drive.  At Walmart, we are able to choose from a variety of Post cereals.  I let Nathan browse around and explained to him this entire project and how it will work.  He was excited at the thought of it and even begged me to let him run around the neighborhood with flyers about it!

My son, Nathan, eyeing the "giant size" Fruity Pebbles!

Walmart of course had a wide array of Post cereals to choose from and the prices were just right too.  Of course, while we were there we picked up a few other items and essentials. 

This Post Bowls of Hope project is so great that I really would have liked to see an endcap or a store display somehwere highlighting it for other customers to find out about.  I think it is something that everyone who is a parent seeks – wanting to make your child a better person by teaching them to serve others.

If you are interested in participating with your kids or just to find out more, you can visit Post on their Facebook page by clicking here or follow them on Twitter here.  Additionally, Post Champions for Kids program has a Facebook page and Twitter page as well!

I hope that you will at least check out the links I've shared above to see if this is something you'd like to participate in with your kids.  Please let me know if you do, as I'd love to read and hear about your experience! This makes such a fun summer project to do with your kids and I think it is the best way to spend a fun summer day!

To see more photos of our Walmart shopping experience, visit my Google+ story album here.

{Disclosure:  I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Champions for Kids #CBias #SocialFabric”, however all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. No one is the boss of me!}