Growing up in the 1980s and 1990s, I recall commercials with images  of malnourished, starving children in Ethiopia as celebrities solicited  donations to end world hunger.

Now those same images of hungry  children can be found in America, where 17 million children are living  in hunger. Overall, 50 million Americans struggle to feed themselves,  according to the Feeding America web site.

Ironically, for a short  period of time more than a year and a half ago, I was part of that  statistic and one of my best friends from Ethiopia took me grocery  shopping a couple times. Now that I'm back on my feet, I've been able to  treat my Ethiopian friend at restaurants, like today when we ate a  Crispers restaurant, which offers soups, salads, flatbread and sandwiches.

The  Crispers restaurant franchise is actively addressing America's hunger  crisis. Twice a week, Crisper restaurants allow children to eat for free  with the purchase of an adult entree. And patrons receive a $2 off  coupon for donating a $1 to help with Crispers' anti-hunger initiatives.  Of course, I gave a $1 today and will from now during my weekly stops  at Crispers.

America's hunger crisis pales in comparison to the  nearly 1 billion hungry around the world, which accounts for the No. 1  health crisis on the planet. Yet, America has had a dramatic increase in  hunger since the Great Recession in 2007 and the U.S. poverty level is  the highest since 1997, a year after the original U.S. welfare program,  Assistance for Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), ended.

Surprisingly, the U.S. government offers several food and  financial assistance programs for Americans who make less than $22,000  annually and as much as $40,000 annually. So if you need help or you are  close to someone who needs help, read more about the programs at www.mytensense.com.