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    Kay’s comments: More seniors go hungry in U.S. today On my way home Monday night, I heard a shocking discussion. The NPR show, “On Point” was discussing a report from the Meals on Wheels Foundation. That report found that one in seven or 8.3 million Americans face the threat of hunger. Those 8.3 million are not children. They are seniors and especially seniors between the ages of 60 and 69. In 2005, that number was one in nine. The report used questions from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and emphasized those who were at threat of hunger or marginally food insecure. Those senior citizens most likely be threatened by hunger were racial or ethnic minorities, those living in the South or Southwest, those with lower incomes and those in the 60 to 69 age group. Most of those threatened by hunger have incomes above the poverty level and are white. The numbers are increasing according to the report. From 2001 to 2010, the numbers of seniors facing hunger has increased 78 percent. The report also found, “Hunger threat among divorced or separated seniors is two and a half times greater than married seniors, and younger seniors, especially those under 75, are at heightened threat in comparison to those over age 75. Likewise, the threat of hunger is over 3 times higher among the disabled than the retired, and if a grandchild is present, the prospects for being under the threat of hunger greatly exceed those households with no grandchild present.” Some people commenting on the report speculated that seniors caring for grandchildren may give up their own food so their grandchildren will not go hungry.” Read More. 

    Kay’s comments: More seniors go hungry in U.S. today

    On my way home Monday night, I heard a shocking discussion. The NPR show, “On Point” was discussing a report from the Meals on Wheels Foundation. That report found that one in seven or 8.3 million Americans face the threat of hunger.

    Those 8.3 million are not children. They are seniors and especially seniors between the ages of 60 and 69. In 2005, that number was one in nine. The report used questions from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and emphasized those who were at threat of hunger or marginally food insecure.

    Those senior citizens most likely be threatened by hunger were racial or ethnic minorities, those living in the South or Southwest, those with lower incomes and those in the 60 to 69 age group. Most of those threatened by hunger have incomes above the poverty level and are white.

    The numbers are increasing according to the report. From 2001 to 2010, the numbers of seniors facing hunger has increased 78 percent.

    The report also found, “Hunger threat among divorced or separated seniors is two and a half times greater than married seniors, and younger seniors, especially those under 75, are at heightened threat in comparison to those over age 75. Likewise, the threat of hunger is over 3 times higher among the disabled than the retired, and if a grandchild is present, the prospects for being under the threat of hunger greatly exceed those households with no grandchild present.” Some people commenting on the report speculated that seniors caring for grandchildren may give up their own food so their grandchildren will not go hungry.”

    Read More. 

    — 10 months ago with 1 note
    #seniors  #food insecurity  #hunger  #poverty  #kay's perspective  #america  #usa  #meals on wheels  #on point 
    Farmers, Campbell Soup team up with NJ food bank to offer some peachy help by making salsa CAMDEN, N.J. — A New Jersey food bank has found a new way to try to feed the hungry and help farmers: Selling salsa. The Food Bank of New Jersey and the Campbell Soup Co., announced the plan Wednesday, hoping it can become a model for fundraising for food banks and for innovative ways for charities and corporations to deepen their relationships. Here’s how it works: The food bank is collecting small and blemished peaches from the Eastern Propak Farmers’ Cooperative of Gloucester County and taking some of them to Campbell. The company is turning them into the featured ingredient in Just Peachy Salsa, a cooperative product being produced by Campbell using donated cilantro and other ingredients and put into donated jars. Campbell donated the recipe and the manufacturing in its small plant that’s usually used to make products for testing purposes rather than for sale. Company employees are volunteering to can and label the salsa. From there, the food bank will sell the Just Peachy Salsa at first for $2.99 per jar through its website and at a peach festival on Saturday in Collingswood. The group is trying to line up some stores willing to sell it, too. The partnership is planning to produce 54,000 jars of salsa this summer with the idea of raising at least $100,000 for the food bank, which has about 175,000 clients in southern New Jersey. “It’s one small little jar,” said food bank CEO Val Traore, “but it’s a giant step in the battle against hunger.” Read More. 

    Farmers, Campbell Soup team up with NJ food bank to offer some peachy help by making salsa

    CAMDEN, N.J. — A New Jersey food bank has found a new way to try to feed the hungry and help farmers: Selling salsa.

    The Food Bank of New Jersey and the Campbell Soup Co., announced the plan Wednesday, hoping it can become a model for fundraising for food banks and for innovative ways for charities and corporations to deepen their relationships.

    Here’s how it works: The food bank is collecting small and blemished peaches from the Eastern Propak Farmers’ Cooperative of Gloucester County and taking some of them to Campbell.

    The company is turning them into the featured ingredient in Just Peachy Salsa, a cooperative product being produced by Campbell using donated cilantro and other ingredients and put into donated jars. Campbell donated the recipe and the manufacturing in its small plant that’s usually used to make products for testing purposes rather than for sale.

    Company employees are volunteering to can and label the salsa.

    From there, the food bank will sell the Just Peachy Salsa at first for $2.99 per jar through its website and at a peach festival on Saturday in Collingswood. The group is trying to line up some stores willing to sell it, too.

    The partnership is planning to produce 54,000 jars of salsa this summer with the idea of raising at least $100,000 for the food bank, which has about 175,000 clients in southern New Jersey.

    “It’s one small little jar,” said food bank CEO Val Traore, “but it’s a giant step in the battle against hunger.”

    Read More. 

    — 10 months ago
    #campbell soup  #new jersey  #food bank  #eastern propak farmer's cooperative  #gloucester county  #campbell  #just peachy salsa  #peaches  #salsa  #food bank of new jersey  #ideas  #initiatives  #food insecurity  #awareness  #america  #usa 
    Sioux City food bank adjusts as funds dry up SIOUX CITY | A drop in corporate donations and state assistance is forcing the Food Bank of Siouxland to change how it collects money and products. They’re relying more on private donations to weather the fragile economic climate. “Fundraisers are critical to us, no two ways about that,” said Linda Scheid, executive director of the Sioux City-based group, which provides food to 125 agencies in 11 Nebraska and Iowa counties. In the past, many supplies came from the region’s bustling food industry. But donations dropped following the 2010 closure of the John Morrell meat processing plant in Sioux City. More recently, contributions took a hit after Dakota Dunes-based Beef Products Inc. came under fire nationally for its lean, finely textured beef product, the subject of reports that raised safety concerns. The company, which repeatedly said the products are safe, had to reduce its workforce after orders dried up. The result is that people who once had good-paying jobs and donated money are now on the receiving end of the Food Bank’s services. Brad Boblit, of Sioux City, visits the St. Thomas Episcopal Church food bank on 12th Street in Sioux City monthly. His wife lost her job, he said, and providing for their two kids is a challenge. “A lot of times it’s mac ‘n’ cheese or peanut butter sandwiches for dinner,” he said. The family has moved several times looking for cheaper rent and he visits to food pantry every month to get extra help, he said. Boblit remembers visiting food pantries with his dad when he was younger and credits his father for helping him get through the past two years. “He taught me how to provide for my family, even during trying times,” he said. Read More. 

    Sioux City food bank adjusts as funds dry up

    SIOUX CITY | A drop in corporate donations and state assistance is forcing the Food Bank of Siouxland to change how it collects money and products. They’re relying more on private donations to weather the fragile economic climate.

    “Fundraisers are critical to us, no two ways about that,” said Linda Scheid, executive director of the Sioux City-based group, which provides food to 125 agencies in 11 Nebraska and Iowa counties.

    In the past, many supplies came from the region’s bustling food industry. But donations dropped following the 2010 closure of the John Morrell meat processing plant in Sioux City. More recently, contributions took a hit after Dakota Dunes-based Beef Products Inc. came under fire nationally for its lean, finely textured beef product, the subject of reports that raised safety concerns. The company, which repeatedly said the products are safe, had to reduce its workforce after orders dried up.

    The result is that people who once had good-paying jobs and donated money are now on the receiving end of the Food Bank’s services.

    Brad Boblit, of Sioux City, visits the St. Thomas Episcopal Church food bank on 12th Street in Sioux City monthly. His wife lost her job, he said, and providing for their two kids is a challenge.

    “A lot of times it’s mac ‘n’ cheese or peanut butter sandwiches for dinner,” he said.

    The family has moved several times looking for cheaper rent and he visits to food pantry every month to get extra help, he said. Boblit remembers visiting food pantries with his dad when he was younger and credits his father for helping him get through the past two years.

    “He taught me how to provide for my family, even during trying times,” he said.

    Read More. 

    — 10 months ago
    #sioux city  #food bank  #food prices  #inflation  #adjustments  #donations  #hunger  #poverty  #america  #USA  #food insecurity 
    Area pantries brace for high food prices By Sarah Thomas sthomas@news-journal.com One of the worst droughts in U.S. history has pushed rising food costs onto East Texas Food Bank’s radar, and it could lead to difficult times for local food pantries. The U.S. Drought Monitor reports about 60 percent of the country is suffering under drought conditions, and more than 20 percent of the nation is experiencing extreme or exceptional drought conditions — the two worst stages of drought — and more than half of that area will be experiencing these conditions for at least six more months. The drought prompted the U.S. Department of Agriculture to forewarn consumers to expect to pay 3 to 4 percent more for groceries in the coming year. This new challenge comes in the midst of already hefty fuel prices and a downward trend in donations to the East Texas Food Bank, which supplies much of the food for pantries across this part of the state. Karolyn Davis, ETFB communications director, said they have no choice but to buy food to make up for the lack of donations. “We have had to purchase more food this year than ever before,” Davis said. “When donations aren’t there and demand is, that’s what happens.” Read More. 

    Area pantries brace for high food prices

    By Sarah Thomas sthomas@news-journal.com

    One of the worst droughts in U.S. history has pushed rising food costs onto East Texas Food Bank’s radar, and it could lead to difficult times for local food pantries.

    The U.S. Drought Monitor reports about 60 percent of the country is suffering under drought conditions, and more than 20 percent of the nation is experiencing extreme or exceptional drought conditions — the two worst stages of drought — and more than half of that area will be experiencing these conditions for at least six more months.

    The drought prompted the U.S. Department of Agriculture to forewarn consumers to expect to pay 3 to 4 percent more for groceries in the coming year.

    This new challenge comes in the midst of already hefty fuel prices and a downward trend in donations to the East Texas Food Bank, which supplies much of the food for pantries across this part of the state.

    Karolyn Davis, ETFB communications director, said they have no choice but to buy food to make up for the lack of donations.

    “We have had to purchase more food this year than ever before,” Davis said. “When donations aren’t there and demand is, that’s what happens.”

    Read More. 

    — 10 months ago
    #high food prices  #america  #USA  #drought  #food banks  #east texas food bank  #empty pantries  #inflation  #hunger  #food insecurity  #awareness 
    Child hunger is closer than you think By Sue Estee Executive Director Second Harvest North Central Food Bank In America, a staggering twenty-one percent of children (one in every five) live in food insecure households. Right here in Minnesota, there are 212,050 children living in food insecure homes. The poverty rate in the counties served by Second Harvest North Central Food Bank is over thirteen percent according to the 2010 Census data. The child poverty rate is twenty-one percent. A perfect storm formed by the combination of a prolonged recession, a national unemployment rate stuck at nine percent, and rising food and fuel costs has left an estimated 49 million Americans living with food insecurity. According to the USDA, 16 million of them are children. During these difficult economic times, more and more families are turning to Second Harvest for help meeting basic needs. Food shelf visits in this region were up thirteen percent last year and a startling thirty-two and a half percent since 2008. Families are struggling to provide enough food for the children and afford their other expenses for housing, utilities and transportation. The story is alarmingly familiar here in our region. There are a staggering number of children living without adequate nutrition right here in our own backyards. “Teachers and school counselors know that some students come to school hungry, especially on Mondays, but they have no way to help them”, according to Sue Estee, Second Harvest Executive Director. “But there is hope. The Kids Packs to Go BackPack Program is an important source of food for children in these families,” she says. Our Kids Packs to Go BackPack Program started in 2005 with 35 bags going to one school, once a month. Last year Second Harvest North Central Food Bank distributed 1,720 bags, to 16 schools, in five counties, every month. The cost for each Kids Pack is roughly $2.75… Read More.

    Child hunger is closer than you think

    By Sue Estee Executive Director Second Harvest North Central Food Bank

    In America, a staggering twenty-one percent of children (one in every five) live in food insecure households. Right here in Minnesota, there are 212,050 children living in food insecure homes. The poverty rate in the counties served by Second Harvest North Central Food Bank is over thirteen percent according to the 2010 Census data. The child poverty rate is twenty-one percent.

    A perfect storm formed by the combination of a prolonged recession, a national unemployment rate stuck at nine percent, and rising food and fuel costs has left an estimated 49 million Americans living with food insecurity. According to the USDA, 16 million of them are children. During these difficult economic times, more and more families are turning to Second Harvest for help meeting basic needs. Food shelf visits in this region were up thirteen percent last year and a startling thirty-two and a half percent since 2008. Families are struggling to provide enough food for the children and afford their other expenses for housing, utilities and transportation.

    The story is alarmingly familiar here in our region. There are a staggering number of children living without adequate nutrition right here in our own backyards.

    “Teachers and school counselors know that some students come to school hungry, especially on Mondays, but they have no way to help them”, according to Sue Estee, Second Harvest Executive Director. “But there is hope. The Kids Packs to Go BackPack Program is an important source of food for children in these families,” she says.

    Our Kids Packs to Go BackPack Program started in 2005 with 35 bags going to one school, once a month. Last year Second Harvest North Central Food Bank distributed 1,720 bags, to 16 schools, in five counties, every month. The cost for each Kids Pack is roughly $2.75…

    Read More.

    — 10 months ago with 2 notes
    #backpacks  #program  #hunger  #child hunger  #food insecurity  #america  #USA  #Kids Packs  #Go BackPAck Program  #North CEntral Food Bank  #Second Harvest 
    US food aid: the special interests blocking reform Agribusiness, shipping firms and NGOs – the ‘iron triangle’ of special interests – oppose changes to in-kind US food aid Big agribusinesses are not the only ones benefiting from the controversial US food aid system. Food aid has also become a valuable business for a variety of smaller food companies. Some have developed special product lines specifically for sale to the US government as food aid. Others have fought to get their products on the official list of eligible food aid commodities, which now includes items such as Californian raisins, dehydrated potatoes and canned pink salmon. Under US law, the majority of American food aid must be shipped on US-flagged vessels, and the shipping industry is another aggressive defender of the system. A 2007 report by the US government accountability office (GAO) found that nearly two-thirds of the US food aid budget was spent on transportation and other non-food costs. Last month, President Barack Obama lowered the share of US food aid that must be transported on US ships from 75% to 50%; USA Maritime, a coalition of shipping companies and maritime trade and labour associations, was quick to protest. It said shipments of international food aid support 33,000 US jobs and help maintain a merchant marine that can be called upon by the department of defence in cases of war or national emergency. Click here to continue reading. 

    US food aid: the special interests blocking reform

    Agribusiness, shipping firms and NGOs – the ‘iron triangle’ of special interests – oppose changes to in-kind US food aid

    Big agribusinesses are not the only ones benefiting from the controversial US food aid system.

    Food aid has also become a valuable business for a variety of smaller food companies. Some have developed special product lines specifically for sale to the US government as food aid. Others have fought to get their products on the official list of eligible food aid commodities, which now includes items such as Californian raisins, dehydrated potatoes and canned pink salmon.

    Under US law, the majority of American food aid must be shipped on US-flagged vessels, and the shipping industry is another aggressive defender of the system. A 2007 report by the US government accountability office (GAO) found that nearly two-thirds of the US food aid budget was spent on transportation and other non-food costs.

    Last month, President Barack Obama lowered the share of US food aid that must be transported on US ships from 75% to 50%; USA Maritime, a coalition of shipping companies and maritime trade and labour associations, was quick to protest. It said shipments of international food aid support 33,000 US jobs and help maintain a merchant marine that can be called upon by the department of defence in cases of war or national emergency.

    Click here to continue reading. 

    — 11 months ago
    #hunger  #food insecurity  #america  #USA  #barack obama  #US food aid system  #facts  #budget 
    Revisiting The War on Poverty: Poverty Didn’t Win By MERRILL GOOZNER, The Fiscal Times July 11, 2012 Fifty years ago, Michael Harrington wrote The Other America, documenting – among the many ravages of poverty – that millions of children in the richest country on earth went to bed hungry every night. His book inspired two Democratic presidents, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, to launch a war on poverty, then estimated at more than 20 percent of the population. Fast forward a half century. Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich, running in the Republican primaries, accused President Obama of being the “food stamp president” because more people were receiving benefits from that anti-poverty program than at any time since its inception – 46 million at a cost of $75 billion a year. The recession-driven expansion triggered scorn from conservatives on Capitol Hill and a governmentcrackdown on fraud that allegedly wasted about one percent or $750 million a year. Lost in that political maelstrom was the dog that didn’t bark. Despite unemployment rates not seen since the Great Depression, there were no reports about the return of widespread child hunger in the U.S. “In this recession, poverty has gone up but hunger has not,” said John Carr, who directs anti-poverty policy development and advocacy for the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ Conference. “When somebody stood up and said this is the food stamp president, neither the president nor anyone else stood up and said, ‘we’re a better country because kids don’t go hungry in this country.’” Click here to read more. 

    Revisiting The War on Poverty: Poverty Didn’t Win

    By MERRILL GOOZNER, The Fiscal Times
    July 11, 2012

    Fifty years ago, Michael Harrington wrote The Other America, documenting – among the many ravages of poverty – that millions of children in the richest country on earth went to bed hungry every night. His book inspired two Democratic presidents, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, to launch a war on poverty, then estimated at more than 20 percent of the population.

    Fast forward a half century. Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich, running in the Republican primaries, accused President Obama of being the “food stamp president” because more people were receiving benefits from that anti-poverty program than at any time since its inception – 46 million at a cost of $75 billion a year. The recession-driven expansion triggered scorn from conservatives on Capitol Hill and a governmentcrackdown on fraud that allegedly wasted about one percent or $750 million a year.

    Lost in that political maelstrom was the dog that didn’t bark. Despite unemployment rates not seen since the Great Depression, there were no reports about the return of widespread child hunger in the U.S. “In this recession, poverty has gone up but hunger has not,” said John Carr, who directs anti-poverty policy development and advocacy for the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ Conference. “When somebody stood up and said this is the food stamp president, neither the president nor anyone else stood up and said, ‘we’re a better country because kids don’t go hungry in this country.’”

    Click here to read more. 

    — 11 months ago with 6 notes
    #poverty  #america  #USA  #michael harrington  #the other america 
    Growing Importance: Families share summer garden bounties for local food pantry cause Caroline Shook, CEO of Housing Opportunities in Valparaiso, which runs the Porter County Food Pantry program, still remembers the box of “beautiful” freshly picked hot peppers donated one day last summer by a local gardener with a surplus. “These peppers looked great, but they definitely were very hot,” Shook said. “I remember when we put them out on our food pickup day, we made sure to put a sign in front of them explaining it. I thought for sure by the end of the day, they’d still be sitting there without any takers. Instead, just the opposite. By 9:30 a.m., they were gone.” Shook describes personal garden donations as one of the great misconceptions about which food items patrons in need prefer. “I’ve been here since 2000, and it’s not just shelf staples like canned goods and boxed goods that people want and need,” Shook said. “Now, more than ever, people are realizing the value of fresh fruits and vegetables and produce of all kinds and we’re happy to accept any donations from anyone with gardens who have extra to share.” Click here to read more. 

    Growing Importance: Families share summer garden bounties for local food pantry cause


    Caroline Shook, CEO of Housing Opportunities in Valparaiso, which runs the Porter County Food Pantry program, still remembers the box of “beautiful” freshly picked hot peppers donated one day last summer by a local gardener with a surplus.

    “These peppers looked great, but they definitely were very hot,” Shook said.

    “I remember when we put them out on our food pickup day, we made sure to put a sign in front of them explaining it. I thought for sure by the end of the day, they’d still be sitting there without any takers. Instead, just the opposite. By 9:30 a.m., they were gone.”

    Shook describes personal garden donations as one of the great misconceptions about which food items patrons in need prefer.

    “I’ve been here since 2000, and it’s not just shelf staples like canned goods and boxed goods that people want and need,” Shook said.

    “Now, more than ever, people are realizing the value of fresh fruits and vegetables and produce of all kinds and we’re happy to accept any donations from anyone with gardens who have extra to share.”

    Click here to read more. 

    — 11 months ago
    #gardens  #food bank  #pantry  #valparaiso  #awareness  #hunger  #donate  #inspire  #food insecurity  #america  #USA 
    Feeding America Warns That House Cuts To The SNAP (Food Stamp) Program Will Put Millions At Risk Of Hunger CHICAGO, July 12, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ – Statement Attributable to Vicki Escarra, President and CEO of Feeding America: “Feeding America is deeply concerned that the House Agriculture Committee’s drastic cuts of over $16 billion to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) in the new Farm Bill will make it harder for millions of struggling Americans to put food on the table. “Cutting food assistance at a time when so many Americans need help is a callous departure from Washington’s historic bi-partisan commitment to protecting and strengthening programs that feed hungry families. “Consider these disturbing facts: The proposed cuts would cause two to three million individuals to lose their food assistance entirely; an additional 500,000 households would have their SNAP benefits cut by $90 per month; and nearly 300,000 children would lose free school meals. “Cuts to SNAP will drive more struggling families to local food charities at a time when food banks are already stretched thin. Make no mistake, our food banks will not be able to fill the gap caused by these cuts. “We strongly urge Congress to reject these cuts to SNAP. They should instead seek to protect and strengthen current food assistance programs as the Farm Bill process moves forward. It is important that Congress keep in mind a few simple facts about Americans who receive SNAP benefits: 76 percent of SNAP households include a senior citizen, at least one child, or someone who is disabled. The average SNAP household receives only $284 per month in food stamp benefits. This works out to about $1.50 per person per meal. To qualify for SNAP benefits, the household income for a family of three has to be less than $24,817. “With millions of Americans out of work or underemployed, now is the time to protect and strengthen SNAP, not cut it. Click here to read more. 

    Feeding America Warns That House Cuts To The SNAP (Food Stamp) Program Will Put Millions At Risk Of Hunger

    CHICAGO, July 12, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ – Statement Attributable to Vicki Escarra, President and CEO of Feeding America:

    “Feeding America is deeply concerned that the House Agriculture Committee’s drastic cuts of over $16 billion to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) in the new Farm Bill will make it harder for millions of struggling Americans to put food on the table.

    “Cutting food assistance at a time when so many Americans need help is a callous departure from Washington’s historic bi-partisan commitment to protecting and strengthening programs that feed hungry families.

    “Consider these disturbing facts: The proposed cuts would cause two to three million individuals to lose their food assistance entirely; an additional 500,000 households would have their SNAP benefits cut by $90 per month; and nearly 300,000 children would lose free school meals.

    “Cuts to SNAP will drive more struggling families to local food charities at a time when food banks are already stretched thin. Make no mistake, our food banks will not be able to fill the gap caused by these cuts.

    “We strongly urge Congress to reject these cuts to SNAP. They should instead seek to protect and strengthen current food assistance programs as the Farm Bill process moves forward.

    It is important that Congress keep in mind a few simple facts about Americans who receive SNAP benefits:

    • 76 percent of SNAP households include a senior citizen, at least one child, or someone who is disabled.
    • The average SNAP household receives only $284 per month in food stamp benefits. This works out to about $1.50 per person per meal.
    • To qualify for SNAP benefits, the household income for a family of three has to be less than $24,817.

    “With millions of Americans out of work or underemployed, now is the time to protect and strengthen SNAP, not cut it.

    Click here to read more. 

    — 11 months ago with 1 note
    #feeding america  #warning  #SNAP  #cuts  #america  #USA  #hunger  #food insecurity 
    Musings from a Crime Writer: National Hunger Awareness Day →

    melissamgarcia:

    Food insecurity and hunger are facts of life for millions of individuals in the United States and can produce physical, mental, and social impairments.

    Recent data published by the Department of Agriculture show over 48 million individuals in the United States live in households experiencing…

    — 1 year ago with 2 notes
    #hunger  #national hunger awareness day  #food insecurity  #poverty  #america  #USA 
    Greenwave Gazette - Abington High School - Childhood hunger in America →

    ‘

    Childhood hunger is a growing problem in the United States. Many children go to bed at night hungry, do not know where their next meal is coming from, and for some of those children the only meals they have are during school hours.  

                     More than 16 million children are at risk for childhood hunger, which is more than one in five. Nearly 16 million American children   live in poverty; almost 19 million receive benefits from food stamps. Over 20 million get a free or reduced- price lunch during an average school day, while only 10.5 million get a free or reduced- price breakfast, and six out of seven children who qualify for a free or reduced- price school lunch do not have access to summer meals.

      Share Our Strength is a national non- profit organization that is committed to ending childhood hunger, their first priority is to make sure every child in America gets the nutritious food he or she needs to learn, grow and thrive. Their movement No Kid Hungry is a national movement that was started 25 years ago and has been confronting hunger problems head-on since then. Share Our Strength also works to help feed hungry kids through fundraising events such as Taste of the Nation, Great American Bake Sales, and Dine Out. Additionally, a portion of funds raised through Taste of the Nation events support communities in Haiti, Mexico, El Salvador, and Ethiopia.

    No Kid Hungry believes America can end childhood hunger by 2015. So far, over 150,000 people have taken the pledge to end it.  To get involved you can also take the pledge, give a donation, or just spread the word.   Remember the hungry children of America need all the help they can get.

    Click here for the original article. 

    — 1 year ago with 1 note
    #children  #child hunger  #united states  #USA  #share our strength  #non-profit organization  #hunger  #poverty  #support  #charity 
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