Lily, the muppet who introduced the notion of food insecurity to Sesame Street lovers, is bringing the reality of homelessness to children and parents everywhere. Her extended storyline will be shared via social media in a number of videos and other material created to spread awareness about the crisis.
"If you see someone on the street, even if you don't have any cash on you, I genuinely think the interaction is more important than anything," – Ellie Goulding
More people are becoming homeless, offer a helping hand this Xmas to someone who needs it. #Homelessness pic.twitter.com/gkTEOf4YqL— Body Volume Index (BVI) (@bodyvolume) December 12, 2018
An overnight survey conducted in 2016 revealed more than 500,000 Americans living on the streets, in cars, or residing in homeless shelters. Such a number is quite startling considering the length of the survey. Imagine how many more citizens are living on the streets. Furthermore, consider how many of those persons without a home are parents of small children. The reality is quite sad, isn’t it?
Lily’s story of homelessness will not fully delve into the brutality that comes with lacking a permanent place of residence. The muppet’s storyline will, however, touch the surface of things and hopefully give children living in poverty a bit of hope.
“Lily is the first Muppet we’ve created whose storyline includes that she is experiencing homelessness,” Sherrie Westin, president of global impact and philanthropy for Sesame Workshop, shares with media. “When Lily was first launched, she came out as part of the food insecurity initiative. So she’s not brand new, but this seemed like a really perfect extension of her story so that we could use her to help children identify with.”
Lily’s story of homelessness is not slated to air on Sesame Street. Fans can, however, expect to follow the muppet’s struggle with residential insecurity online. Stay tuned for more celebrity kids news!
Photo: Sesame Street Workshop
