New 'Sesame Street' muppet gives childhood hunger a face

A new Muppet designed to teach children about poverty will join the cast of "Sesame Street" on Sunday.

The pink-faced puppet, who goes by the name Lily and sports a blue jumper, struggles with hunger. During an hour-long special she shares with country music star Brad Paisley and his wife, she shares her family's food troubles with Elmo — one of the more popular puppets — after he remarks that he "didn't know there were so many people who didn't have the food they needed," CNN reported. The puppet goes to a food pantry during the episode to both get food and volunteer.

More than one in four real-life children live in homes where there isn't enough food to go around, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Since 2001, the number of households relying on emergency food aid has climbed steadily. The "Sesame Street" special will share the stories of these families.

"Food insecurity is a growing and difficult issue for adults to discuss, much less children," said the Paisleys in a statement.

"Sesame Street" wanted to address hunger because it is likely many of the children who watch the television show have come face to face with the problem, said Rocio Galarza, senior director for content and outreach for the Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit behind "Sesame Street."

"We made very specific choices for this character so it conveyed the message that anyone could be going through this," Galarza said. "It could be your neighbor, could be part of your family sometimes. The character is going through this with her family but is benefiting from the support of her entire community."

Forbes hailed "Sesame Street" as "hands-down the best children's program on television" for its habit of tackling difficult issues. In addition to hunger, the show has taken on problems like grief, racial inequality and HIV. Four years ago, a Muppet was created for a special on military families at a time of war.

Lily is a "brilliant" way to handle a difficult concept, Vicki B. Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America, wrote in an opinion piece for the Huffington Post.

The special is more than a documentary about hunger, she wrote. "It is a message to all children and adults who experience hunger that they are not alone; there are people who care, and places where they can go for help."

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