Author Highlighting Need to Fill the Canadian Child Hunger Gap

CALGARY, Alberta - Oct. 22, 2013 - PRLog -- Calgary, AB  The school year is well underway, and a harsh reality continues to rear its head amongst school-age children across the country. Canada lags behind all the other G-8 countries in child hunger by not having a national program to feed children in schools. In an effort to combat child hunger, author of Be That Mom, Tina O'Connor, is teaming up with Blessings in a Backpack, an organization to help ensure that kids have adequate sustenance when they leave school at the end of each week.

Since she first began her Be That... series of books, O'Connor has dedicated a portion of her profits to charities about which she feels passionate. When Be That Mom was released this fall, it was clear to her that she wanted to do what she could to support several charities, amongst which was Blessings in a Backpack. The innovative program sends kids home each Friday with nutritious, non-perishable food items in a backpack that they return to school empty on Monday.

"I felt it was important to support them because of what I'm talking about in regards to being a great mom. There are a lot of mothers out there who are amazing moms, but who are struggling financially," says O'Connor, herself the mother of three young children. "And the stress of worrying about whether your kids have enough food to eat is one that no parent should ever have to endure."

O'Connor is also impressed with the impact the organization has on the lives of children. "It seems impossible, but with just a $100 donation you're going to be sending a child home with a backpack full of nourishing goods each week for the entire school year. And the all the research on childhood development tells us that a child who is well-fed is going to perform so much better than one who is not."

In the coming months O'Connor will be hosting a series of events that form part of the Release Your Inner Girl Tour.  The events are free to attend, and donations of cash and new or gently used backpacks will be collected at the events in support of the Blessings in a Backpack charity. A portion of future sales from her Be That... books will also support the organization.

For more information on the Canadian branch of Blessings in a Backpack, visit http://blessingsinabackpack.ca. To find out more about the Your Inner Girl Tour and Tina O'Connor's Be That... series of books, visit her website at: http://bethatbooks.com/

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