"Perhaps it’s a sign that recession is here to stay when Elmo and Super Grover are joined by a new Muppet (if only briefly) whose primary story is that she is living in a family hit hard by the recession. Lily, who is all kinds of adorable and sweet, with her fuschia-colored fur and bright red hair, explains to Elmo that she’s there volunteering at the food pantry (Elmo’s first experience at one of those), and that she sometimes needs to get food from the food pantry herself. “In 2009, 15 percent of U.S. households were identified as being food insecure, or defined as being with limited or uncertain availability to meet their basic needs due to a lack of financial resources,” said Melissa Dino, a producer on the PBS show: “Then, it’s estimated 17 million American children struggle with hunger—that’s really, really staggering in our country."

Sesame Street’s Hunger Crusade: Lily the Muppet - The Daily Beast (via apsies)

(via apsies)