The Muppets Take East St. Louis

A United Methodist News Service Report
By Heather Kemper-Hussey

Jagged lines of 4- and 5-year-olds zigzagged into the room. Excitement rumbled through the tiny crowd as their widening eyes recognized the red and blue monsters surrounding the television.

On this Friday morning, “Sesame Street” had come to the children of the Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House, a United Methodist community center.

Thanks to the St. Louis Area Foodbank and a grant from Walmart, the children at the center viewed a screening of a primetime special of “Sesame Street,” titled “Growing Hope Against Hunger.” The special features celebrity guests Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams Paisley and, of course, the Sesame Street Muppets, including a new Muppet named Lily, whose family doesn’t always have enough to eat.

Many of the children who watched Lily at the Oct. 14 screening could identify with her experience.

“Right now, 41 percent of our residents here in East St. Louis are living in poverty, and 20 percent are in extreme poverty,” said Aundrea Young, deputy director at the Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House. “That means 40 percent of our area children are going hungry. So this message by ‘Sesame Street’ is very close to us, very close to our hearts. We know a resolution will take a community effort, and I see the Lessie Bates Davis House playing a vital role.”