It’s hard to believe that in a prosperous country like the United States, people can be going hungry, but they are. More than 33 million Americans are living with food insecurity, meaning they don’t have access to adequate nutrition. Five million of those people dealing with food insecurity are children.
In the United States, COVID-era policies designed to make sure kids are eating at school have come to an end, and many families are struggling to cope. Food insecurity is widespread among college students and people of color. Kids who experience food insecurity during the first years of life – or even those who have hungry parents while young – can experience social, emotional, and cognitive setbacks that they might never recover from. Food pantries, food stamps, and other programs designed to help feed the hungry aren’t sufficient to address the problem. Here are the facts about who’s hungry in America and what can be done to help them.
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Families with Children Are Struggling with Hunger
In the United States, five million children aren’t getting enough to eat at home. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress made school meals free to all children, which allowed more kids than ever to get meals at school. While needy kids qualify for free school meals even in non-pandemic times, many low-income children can’t access this benefit. Maybe their parents can’t figure out the paperwork or maybe their parents are undocumented immigrants who fear repercussions if they apply for school meal assistance. Some kids won’t eat free school meals even if they can get them, because of the stigma attached to accepting food assistance – a stigma that disappears when all the kids qualify for free breakfast and lunch.
Now that the free school meals program has ended, many kids are struggling with hunger. The federal free school meals program lasted long enough that plenty of families with younger kids have never filled out the application at all. Many are confused about how to qualify for free lunch and breakfast for their children. And kids who don’t get much to eat at home are struggling to concentrate at school, over the growling of their stomachs.
Early Childhood Hunger Can Set Kids Back for Life
Research has shown that kids who experience food insecurity in the first few years of their lives. The effects of hunger on the body are such that kids experience cognitive, emotional, and social setbacks that keep them lagging behind their peers. Kids can never catch up from this kind of delay. Even when the family’s fortunes improve and kids start getting enough to eat at home later on, they’ll remain lagging behind their peers emotionally, socially, and academically. The deficit can last into adulthood, since kids who lag behind their peers are less likely to achieve the academic and social success that can lead to a good career and good relationships.
Young People and People of Color Are Especially Vulnerable to Hunger
Many young people are struggling with food insecurity, too. Thirty-six percent of college students report not having access to enough food. Households of color also struggle disproportionately with food insecurity. Many live in food deserts, or neighborhoods without access to full-service grocery stores. People living in poverty may not have the time, between working multiple jobs, to go to a grocery store outside of the neighborhood. Food options at local stores may be mostly processed foods and junk foods, which is why many food insecure people are, paradoxically, overweight. Healthy foods like fresh vegetables and lean meats are too expensive for many people struggling with hunger, and offerings from food pantries often don’t include fresh food, either.
How the Social Safety Net Is Failing the Hungry
Food pantries, soup kitchens, and food stamp programs aren’t adequate to the task of feeding all the hungry. Many people facing food insecurity are undocumented immigrants who don’t want to risk drawing the attention of the government if they apply for food assistance. Food pantries and soup kitchens don’t have enough to go around. Some states, like California, are trying to address the problem by continuing to provide free school meals to all students, while communities are coming together to address the problem with free community pantries and fridges. Nevertheless, food insecurity remains a serious issue for a significant percentage of American families.
Now that you know the facts about food insecurity in the United States, it’s time to help solve the problem. Contribute to your local food banks, soup kitchens, community pantries, and other resources available to help feed the hungry. One day, it may be you who needs the help.
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