Back in 2012, Viola Davis gave a wonderful, intensive interview to the LA Times Magazine. I had always admired Viola and thought highly of her acting skills, but I didn’t know that much about her life until that interview. She discussed growing up poor in Central Falls, Rhode Island in a family of eight. Viola said she “came from nothing, came from poverty,” that she “never had a phone” growing up and her shoes “always had holes in them.” Nowadays, Viola is an in-demand, two-time Oscar-nominated actress, constantly on magazine covers and red carpets. And so she’s remembering her roots and she taking up an important initiative: childhood hunger.
Oscar nominee Viola Davis says she was always ashamed to talk about her childhood.
“I was one of those kids who grew up hungry. I’m 48 years old now, and it’s only been recently that I can admit that I would jump in trash bins looking for food and I would steal from the corner store because I was hungry,” Davis says in this week’s issue of PEOPLE. “I would fall asleep in school on a daily basis because we had nothing.”
Growing up in Central Falls, R.I., Davis says she never had friends over because “my house was a condemned building – it was boarded up and infested with rats.”
Now partnering with the Safeway Foundation and the Entertainment Industry Foundation, Davis is spearheading the campaign for Hunger Is to raise awareness and funds to fight childhood hunger.
“We have an image of hunger that comes from Africa, but this is America,” Davis adds. “And unless your belly is distended we don’t have an image of what hunger looks like here.”
Food programs like Hunger Is were instrumental in helping Davis achieve her dreams and goals. “I am the first generation of my family to go to college. Those programs made all the difference for me,” says the actress, who has five siblings. “It’s been cathartic for me because I always had a lot of shame with going in the garbage dumps that had maggots in it, too. It has brought healing in my life to be able to talk about it.”
Most of the charities I donate to on a regular basis are my state’s food banks and Feeding America programs. It upsets me so much when politicians blithely joke about how kids need to “learn” how to work for their food, or when school principals literally take food away from children to “teach them a lesson.” These are children. No child should go hungry. Full-stop. When did it become a legitimate political stance to NOT feed children? So, yeah, I love Viola Davis for talking about this issue with such brutal honesty and for her work in spearheading this new initiative. She’s incredible.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
It is a fantastic thing that she is doing, she’s awesome.
No child should go hungry. This! What an amazing woman; an example to us all.
This is so so true. I do social work with kids and teenagers from various backgrounds and my boss is a badass who has no problem to give them a good roasting if they go wild and don’t obey the rules. But she makes it clear to any new staff member (and reminds us on a regular basis) and that we can never deny them food.
Wow. I already adored her, but had no idea of all that she had to overcome. What an inspiring beauty, inside and out.
I’m gonna have to show this to my mom. She and Viola had the same childhood. For a period of about three or four years, the only meal that my mom and her siblings ate was school lunch, and that was only because it was free.
My mom said that she wasn’t able to concentrate in school, until after she ate lunch, because she was so hungry. And that she used to go to bed really early, because her stomach hurt so bad, because she was hungry. She used to also also kids for their lunch (that they were going to throw away)–she said kids used to laugh and make fun of her, but she didn’t care because she was starving.
It’s why she always made sure that us kids ate GOOD, and have never gone hungry.
Virgilia C., your mom, like Viola, is a courageous and determined women. You are so fortunate to have her as your role model. There are so many children in this world raising themselves because they don’t have a strong parent like her in their lives. Love and cherish her for the rest of your days!
Wow, V.C. The more I hear about your mother the more I understand how you got so amazing at such a young age. That breaks my heart that she and any other child would be hungry. I have thought about this all day. I need to find a way to do something about it, a good organization in my community. This is wrong.
I’m very impressed with her. Bravo. And politicians are so up their own asses, that they have forgotten about the poor. I do contribute to food banks and I also sometimes donate food. No one should be hungry in this rich country; not children or adults.
FYI, the prosperity budget aims to cut food stamps, with tax cuts for the 1%. How have we arrived at a place where that is okay and considered ethical? Or are all pretenses of being a caring nation out the window?
But Kiddo, “This will ensure the next generation inherits a stronger, more prosperous America.” Out the window, indeed.
“Prosperous America” is code for insiders/Prosperous/rich Americans. F* the rest of ’em.
It’s disgusting. Do these people not have any compassion for anyone anymore? I can see (somewhat) saying adults need to work for their food–but children? It’s not their fault that their parents are either lazy SOBS who need to get a job, or can’t find work to feed their kids—they should be taken care of, regardless. That’s one of the things that I think should happen.
If there’s anyone who’s getting massive tax cuts, it should be the disabled, elderly, and funnel money to the poor/homeless. As a young person, I’d rather live in my mama’s house for forever, and pay taxes out of the ass, than know that some kid was going hungry, or an elderly person was getting kicked out of his house because he can’t afford to pay for it, and being moved into some crappy home.
Most schools now also serve subsidized breakfast in addition to lunch. In the school my child attends, they serve breakfast free to all kids, regardless of income and encourage all the kids to take the free breakfast. [and it’s an affluent district, with a contingent of middle class thrown in]. So, while food stamp budget may be cut [and unfortunately many times that money is not spent on food for kids, tbh], at least two meals at school [and often snacks in free afterschool programs] are available. The trick is making sure kids attend school, esp as they get older. And getting their parents to sign them up for the afterschool options that are available. There is a lot of funding, scholarships, etc. And linking often unresponsive or unaware parents/guardians with the resources is I think the weak link in the chain, in terms of serving childrens’ needs and supporting their potential.
So it’s okay that a large number of people may go hungry because of the ills of a few? And I guess we won’t worry about the elderly who are long past school days.
But we give more money to the 1% who screwed everyone with corrupt lending practices, corrupt trading, and so on? We bail them out, but oh well, there’s food at school, and someone stole $ 20 bucks for beer, so all things equal, let’s give the money to the top who can and did collapse the economy. Em-kay /
I believe her to be more inspiring than Lupita and every bit as beautiful.
Thankfully, we have room for more than one black actress that we like. Not sure about Hollywood though….
Oh God, what a silly statement. OMG they’re both dark skinned black women so a comparison is needed.
Both Lupita and Viola are inspiring… very strange statement you made.
They are at completely different points in life, and were brought up in completely different environments. No point in comparing them.
They are both inspiring women and they’re both beautiful. It’s not a daggone contest.
Eh, playing to the cheap seats, huh?
This post is starting my day off on the right foot. Was just thinking about how school is almost out and how many kids will be sitting at home hungry all day because they aren’t getting breakfast or lunch at school. Kudos to her for talking about her experience and kudos to everyone who reads this today and makes a donation or volunteers for a food bank or local community program that provides food to children and the elderly. Have a great weekend, everyone!
Love Viola. More power to her. Central Falls, RI is a tiny town and one of the poorest places in the United States. Viola is an inspiration.
As a resident of Rhode Island, I want to thank you for pointing this out! Not to say poverty doesn’t exist in every state in the USA but right now RI has the highest unemployment in the country and I see people struggling everyday. Kudos to Ms. Davis for raising awareness of these issues.
So true, I too am a resident of RI, I remind myself of how lucky we are. The lines at the soup kitchens are the longest I have ever seen. And the homeless population has exploded in numbers.
The one thing that always drives me crazy is that a lot of the soup kitchens stop serving for summer, do people think that because it is summer people are not hungry???? One of the churches keeps it going, nothing fancy just a brown bag style dinner, sandwich, fruit, pasta salad, cookie and milk but better than having no meal for an entire day.
It’s a heartbreaking subject. I’m happy she’s talking about it and spreading awareness. No child should go hungry (for the matter, neither any other person should). I believe that this job should start in schools, detecting and supporting these cases. This is a society’s problem and a lot more focuses should be put on it.
I grew up in Isla Vista, California, and in Goleta (suburbs of Santa Barbara) and I knew kids who had to forage in dumpsters. When I was in undergraduate, I used to cook food for my brother and leave it at his place and his friends, the ones who used to be little dumpster-diving kids, would share it too.
It’s frightening for a kid to be hungry…frightening, humiliating, and exhausting. It’s scary to be a kid who has enough but who can see one’s little friends suffer, too.
I’m glad Viola Davis feels able to be open about this…she’s a brave lady and I admire her for her honesty.
Hey Frida_K, SB is my home town and I was lucky to grow up there. My family has lived there a long time and my great grandmother used to feed the “hoboes” as they were called, now we call them homeless and transient. We didn’t have food banks back then but we did have compassionate women like my great-granny and people looked out for each other. I don’t know why people are so heartless today, no one should starve, no matter what their circumstances and society as a whole should ensure there are no starving children.
Good for her for raising awareness on such a important issue.
I’m glad she is speaking up about this, I hope this campaign gets the attention it deserves.
Love Viola…that is all.
Bravo viola!!! Bravo!
Great cause, great lady. Helping abroad is so important (Syria, Africa, etc) but it’s always great to see attention paid by celebrities to DOMESTIC causes too.
What an awesome strong classy woman!
She’s amazing!
She’s my favourite. Can’t wait to see her in the James brown biopic.
She’s a goddess!!! Bless her!
it takes a lot of strength to admit something you find shameful and my respect for her has infinitely increased. she is awesome and i am glad she is using her fame to do something for others.
She is truly an inspirational person – she has worked hard and earned every bit of her success, and has never forgotten the hard situation she came from. She seems to be a very passionate and generous person, and I applaud her for her efforts.
It is insane to me that food stamps and other programs are always being attacked and slashed, yet billions are poured into other non-essential pet projects. Any politician who thinks that’s OK should have to live on food stamps for a month.
I agree with you and would add not only “try to live on food stamps for a month”, but “try to live on food stamps for a month in an urban setting”. No supermarket available, no fresh produce, maybe no transportation. Probably a limited choice of heavily processed foods; it’s so much more than people are poor and need to be fed. Many over weight, seemingly well-fed people are suffering from malnutrition. Nutrition education is an important factor in feeding people, especially children.
Love her! What an amazing lady!
Great intiative. It’s amazing what horrible experiences people are capable of overcoming. Sometimes humans look so frail, but to see Viola in these pictures and hear her story…, maybe there is some hope left.
Congratulations to Viola for having the courage to keep on fighting.
She’s amazing. I don’t have a negative thing to say about her. I would like to comment on some of the “feed the children” type charities out there though. My niece has a breakfast club at her school where kids can get a free breakfast (paid for by the tax payers). From what she tells me, this program is being abused as many of the kids eating breakfast at school are not “poor” or “needy”. Some of her friends have iphones and ipads and say they already ate breakfast at home and then go have a second breakfast at school “just because”. I think the schools need to really keep an eye on who the needy kids are as millions of dollars are spent on this program and it seems some of the kids enjoying the program are not needy. There are other schools in “needier” areas that don’t have this program. This is very unfair. Let’s help the ones that really need it. That’s all I’m saying.
That’s actually probably deliberate! Many breakfast programs are open to all children and encourage all children to take advantage of them, no matter what their income level. This means that they’re more likely to serve all the children who need it, and it also means that those poorer children are not singled out and stigmatized by their peers. It’s a good thing!
Yeah, we don’t want to stigmatize the poorer kids. However, the breakfast program is run well before classes start and those who want to eat breakfast have to show up to school early…so really they wouldn’t be stigmatized as only those in need should be there early to eat. But there is a lot of money being wasted feeding kids who aren’t in need. There are some schools that don’t have the breakfast programs because the government doesn’t have enough money. If they would just organize the program better, then ALL the needy kids would get fed. Right now, we are seeing a lot of kids whose parents make money, buy their kids iphones, feed them a good breakfast before school and they are eating a second breakfast at school (because the parents drop them off early so they can get to work on time). The food that is being wasted is ridiculous (as some kids show up full and only nibble on a second breakfast ) when there are kids in other schools who don’t get this program at all. They really need to look into this.
Most schools now also serve subsidized breakfast in addition to lunch. In the school my child attends, they serve breakfast free to all kids, regardless of income and encourage all the kids to take the free breakfast. [and it’s an affluent district, with a contingent of middle class thrown in]. So, while food stamp budget may be cut [and unfortunately many times that money is not spent on food for kids, tbh], at least two meals at school [and often snacks in free afterschool programs] are available. The trick is making sure kids attend school, esp as they get older. And getting their parents to sign them up for the afterschool options that are available. There is a lot of funding, scholarships, etc. And linking often unresponsive or unaware parents/guardians with the resources is I think the weak link in the chain, in terms of serving childrens’ needs and supporting their potential.
Also, there are breakfast programs subsidized and available now that are for ALL kids, b/c of the important link between breakfast and classroom learning/brain development. Just to mention: Parents can have means and still not know how to feed their kids appropriately or do not monitor to ensure they are eating breakfast at all! Geesh, having money or being ‘just above poverty or middle class’ doesn’t ensure that kids are getting what they need! Money doesn’t but proper care of children inherently. Also, MANY kids of lower income or living in subsidized housing, etc. will still have ipads and phones, etc. You’d be surprised at how many folks prioritize the right sneakers, flatscreen tvs, phones etc over other things and how many of those are bought with subsidized money. In short, 1) kids with technology may still qualify for ‘free’ breakfast. and 2) Kids whose families do not qualify for subsidized may still not be getting the nutrition they need; 3) Current breakfast programs are being piloted for ALL children, to ensure proper start to the day and as a way to confirm the link between breakfast and learning/school success.
@Irm
You make some good and valid points. But from my personal experience, the breakfast program is being abused and money is being wasted. They are picking and choosing which schools get the program because of lack of funding. Instead let’s focus on those kids who are really “in need”. That’s all I’m trying to say. I know they want all kids to start the day off right. Yes, I am aware that many of those kids in need have parents with really bad priorities. I am also aware that many parents who have good income still don’t know how to feed their kids properly. The issue is the government needs to allocate funds according to need. It’s not fair to feed kids who have the means to do so at home. The program initially was about helping feed kids who weren’t being fed at home due to lack of parental income, etc. If they want to promote the program as a nutritional program to teach ALL kids how to eat proper…that is great, but they need to do this program in ALL schools then.
Don’t worry about “non-needy” children getting breakfast at school. Who knows what junk their parents gave them, or if they didn’t get anything. Just let all the kids have real food before school. Worrying about taxpayer money bring wasted on food is being pennywise and pound foolish. The huge waste is in endless wars and preparation for more pointless non-defensive wars – easily more than 80 percent of your federal tax dollar is going fir direct and indirect costs of military related adventures. Huge gobs of money are wasted on weapons of mass destruction which are incredibly profitable for a few (and contrary to myth, do not stimulate local economies- the local jobless rarely have the needed skills and tax dollars are lost giving special breaks). Having a huge standing military is extremely expensive and a dead end- unlikely to prepare young people for civilian jobs and too likely to damage them psychologically and physically. That’s the real drain on taxpayer dollars, not giving some kids a second breakfast.
Not sure how many times I’ve said this, but I absolutely LOVE Viola. She’s very inspiring and reminds me so much of my mother. So glad she’s sharing her story.
she’s classy and lovely.
it’s a terrible statement on our society that children in one of the richest countries in the world go hungry. it’s sickening.
It is upsetting but it’s important that people know we have starving children in America. I don’t want starving children anywhere but they ARE everywhere which is why it is very important for those of us that are well fed and compassionate to support reputable charities that feed people.
Jesus, that just made me cry! I will never understand how we can feed the world, but we can’t keep our own children fed.
This may sound like a silly question but does anyone know how to find local food banks / soup kitchens where you can donate time /money or food? I regularly look online but don’t see anything.
Foodpantries.org. You can also google “food bank” with your zip code should show something. If that doesn’t turn up anything, maybe call a few local churches. I live in a smaller town and most of them here are church run.
If there is none near you, try at the county or state level, or you could get really ambitious and look into starting one! Hope you find a good one!
Thank you! Will check these out.
Hi Louisa! I would suggest googling food bank and then your city and see what populates. For example: food bank Miami FL. Results should populate and google should even list them in order of which food banks are closest to you. Once you’ve clicked on your preferred food bank, the website should have a link for “how to help” and volunteer opportunities.
Also, volunteermatch.org is a great resource.
UNICEF does a lot of good work for children, including the US.
Crying at work now remembering being hungry as a child, the shame of never having friends over and praying I could spend the night at a friend’s house so I could eat. My son is chubby but I can not tell him no to food. It scars you to grow up hungry and it never goes away. The only charities I deal with have to do with hungry kids.
I’m not an American but my best friend is and she’s told me some heartbreaking stories. Kudos to Viola. I have yet one more reason to love and admire her.
Now I like her even more after knowing what she went through.
I taught in an area of SoCal with very mixed income levels and I sent kids to the nurse almost daily bc I knew she’d feed them. Hunger really does make it impossible for them to learn.
Kudos to Viola for bringing much needed attention to hunger in America. I think a lot of Americans don’t realize that many kids in the US don’t have the food needed to sustain them throughout the day, making it so much harder to succeed in school.
On a more superficial note, Viola needs a new stylist and I wish she would lay off the the wigs, I think she looks so much better when she wears her hair naturally without those stupids wigs.
Just small funding changes can make a big difference either way. I remember reading a Chicago Tribune story after the Reagan Administration decided to cut funding for food-related programs -the private charities just didn’t have the resources to fill the huge void. Doctors were seeing Chicago children for the first time with kwashiorkor, a protein deficiency disease people usually associate with very poor area in Tropical areas. While visiting relatives in Washington DC around the same time, I read in the local paper about the increased number of “soup kitchens”- including one set up especially for children. They set it up so the kids could buy food for a penny so it wouldn’t seem like charity- no adults were allowed, these were kids who would come in themselves (not tiny kids). They figured the kids could find pennies on the street or easily get them from other sources. And this was in our capital city. The people who decided to cut programs for feeding people were busily doubling the military budget at the same time. I don’t think Reagan was intentionally cruel to children, just amazingly clueless about the consequences of such things.
It breaks my heart to think of even one child going hungry in this or any country and yet they do every single day. I’ve been a huge supporter of food banks, and charities that help people feed their animals so they can keep them instead of turning them in, hoping they won’t be put down. Children and animals are the best investment in capital any thoughtful human being can make.