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Dayma- SHS

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Find Meals for Kids When Schools are Closed

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USDA Summer Meals for Kids Site Finder USDA works closely with states to ensure that children who receive on free or reduced-price school meals can get the nutrition they need when schools are closed - whether during summer break or unexpected closures during the school year.

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what can we do to help those to need help to get food and go to school and get free lunch

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what can we do to help those to need help to get food and go to school and get free lunch

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Food is really important for everybody especially if they can't afford it everybody needs to survive

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Feed the Children, established in 1979 and headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is a non-profit organization focused on alleviating childhood hunger. Its mission is "providing hope and resources for those without life's essentials." The organization provides food, essentials, education supplies and disaster relief to those in need across the United States and in 8 countries around the world. Domestically, Feed the Children operates five distribution centers located in Oklahoma, Indiana, California, Tennessee and Pennsylvania.

In fiscal year 2021, Feed the Children distributed 91.5 million pounds of food and essentials to children and families in the United States. Internationally, the organization's food, nutrition, water, sanitation, and livelihood programs benefitted 2,000,000 people in 8 African, Asian, and Latin American countries. The organization is accredited by GuideStar Exchange and the BBB Wise Giving Alliance.

Feed the Children's domestic programs focus on the acquisition, management, and distribution of food and other gift-in-kind goods to regional and local community partners, agencies, and food banks throughout the United States. In fiscal year 2021, Feed the Children provided 91.5 million pounds of shelf-stable food and other goods.

Feed the Children operates "Teacher Stores" at its distribution centers, which offer free school supplies, books, and healthy snacks to educators in area Title I schools. Through its partnership with the National Association of Educators for Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY), Feed the Children has distributed more than one million Homeless Education and Literacy Program (H.E.L.P.) backpacks containing school supplies, food, and personal care items to at-risk or homeless children enrolled in U.S. public schools. In FY21, the organization's "Teacher Stores" received 29,538 visits from teachers across 482 school districts.

Through their work, they hope that: 1) All children will be properly nourished and developed by age five and continue to understand the importance of nutrition throughout their life; 2) All children will have access to safe and clean water, proper sanitation, and adequate hygiene resources that promote healthy immune systems and enable them to develop through adolescence and into adulthood; 3) All children will be able to enroll, feel safe, and complete a high-quality education that promotes lifelong learning; and 4) Families will be self-reliant, financially stable, and able to support and strengthen their communities.

Examples of international projects funded by Feed the Children include medical mission trips and the "Casa del Niño" (House of the child) in Barrio Ingles, La Ceiba, Honduras. In 2009 FTC has greatly expanded its program in Malawi. Using in-kind donations from Nuskin, Inc, 50,000 orphans and pre-school children, mostly in rural areas, receive a fortified porridge, VitaMeal. Feed the Children has received an $8.5 million grant from the USAID as part of a five-year, $20 million project for orphans and vulnerable children. This will improve food security and access to nutrition, education, clean water, sanitation and sustainable agricultural development for 40,000 households and over 70,000 children impacted by HIV/AIDS in Malawi. The Tiwalere OVC Project, in full operation in 2011, will make Malawi the largest international program.

In 2015, Feed the Children was granted special consultative status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). In 2017, The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) awarded Feed the Children the largest grant in its history - more than $19.15 million - to fund the Tiwalere II project. Following the success of Tiwalere I, a similar but smaller project that improved nutrition for orphans and vulnerable children in Malawi from 2010 to 2015, the Tiwalere II project will strive to achieve significant and sustainable improvements in the nutritional status of children under the age of five, pregnant and lactating women, mothers of children under the age of two and adolescent girls in ten districts within central and northern Malawi.

When Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in 2005, Feed the Children self-reported sending over 650 semi tractor-trailers totaling more than 20,000 tons of donated food and relief supplies. Between the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States and the South Asian tsunami in December 2004, Feed the Children self-reported sending more than 15,500 tons of food and relief supplies to the affected regions.

Feed the Children responded to the flooding in Louisiana, Virginia and West Virginia, the devastation caused by Hurricane Matthew, as well as other disasters as it distributed $3.4 million worth of food and essentials to disaster-affected regions in the United States. Internationally, in fiscal year 2017, Feed the Children trained more than 32,000 individuals in disaster risk-reduction and provided supplies like food, water and tarps to 57,000 individuals.

According to Feed the Children's IRS Form 990 for fiscal year 2021, 94% of its budget went to program services (childcare, food, medical, disaster relief, education and community development), 3% went to fundraising and 3% went to management and supporting services.

ranks Feed the Children as the 33rd largest charity in the United States in its annual America's Top Charities report.

Charity Navigator gives Feed the Children 4/4 stars with an "Accountability and Transparency" rating of 97, and an "Overall" rating of 92.25. GuideStar, a Charity Navigator partner, awards Feed the Children its Platinum Seal of Transparency for "voluntarily and publicly sharing information about how they measure their progress and results."

Feed the Children is accredited by the BBB Wise Giving Alliance.

The organization is a member of InterAction, an alliance of international NGOs and partners in the United States.

Feed the Children's financial and spending practices have long attracted scrutiny and at one point, prompted the American Institute of Philanthropy (AIP) to label FTC the "Most Outrageous Charity in America". Based on the rating criteria used by the AIP, in 2008, Feed the Children spent only 21-23% of its cash budget of $125 million on charitable programs, compared to 63-65% on fundraising, including 54% on TV, radio and direct mail/postage. This was a slight improvement from 2005 when 18% FTC's cash budget was spent on charitable programs and 60% on TV, radio and mail advertisements. Feed the Children and others contest the reliability of AIP's rating method for not taking "gifts in kind" which are included by most other established charity rating organizations, into account. The AIP has speculated Feed the Children's charitable footprint is exaggerated due to the value their non-cash distributions being inflated; an allegation that has at times been echoed by Feed the Children's own auditors.

Former U.S. congressman J.C. Watts Jr. served as Feed the Children's President and CEO from February 2016 until his termination in November 2016. In April 2017, Watts filed a wrongful termination suit against Feed the Children and its board of directors claiming financial mismanagement at the charity. Watts claimed that although he repeatedly brought these issues to the attention of the board of directors, including his concern some of the unspecified irregularities constituted criminal misconduct, no action was taken, forcing him to report the organization to the Oklahoma Attorney General's Office - which then launched a formal investigation. The Attorney General at the time was Mike Hunter, Watt's Chief of Staff from 1995 to 1999 when Watts was in Congress. Watts told a board member of this on November 3, 2016 in a conversation in which the organization claims Watts' stated he would "either get a new board of directors or the organization could get a new CEO". Watts was terminated during a special board meeting held on November 4, 2016. Watts' lawsuit alleges the special board meeting was called to terminate him in retaliation, while the organization claims the meeting was already scheduled to address internal complaints and concerns regarding Watts' performance and conduct.

Feed the Children responded that Watts' allegations had been reviewed by outside counsel and found to be "baseless and without merit". In June of 2017, Feed the Children filed a counter-suit against Watts, noting several discussions pertaining to "(Watts') insubordinate, dishonest and improper conduct, his failings as President and Chief Executive Officer and the termination of (Watts') employment" had already taken place prior to the November 4, 2016 special board meeting in which he was terminated. The organization claims Watts had "misrepresented his fundraising ability" and "misrepresented that he had a Rolodex worth millions of dollars" to raise millions in additional funds for programs and services, but that after 9 months he had raised only $14,000. Feed the Children's counter-suit against Watts sought damages for losses they claimed were negligently incurred by him during his tenure as President and CEO. In July 2019, as part of a settlement, Feed the Children dropped their counter-suit and agreed to pay Watts $1 million to drop his case.

The investigation by the Oklahoma Attorney General later ended after finding no support for Watts' allegations.

After a lengthy leadership dispute between founder Larry Jones and the board and top executives of the charity, Jones agreed to give up operational control in August 2009. On November 6, 2009, the board voted to fire Jones from his position as president. On January 28, 2011, Jones and Feed The Children announced a resolution of the legal dispute. Jones is no longer associated in any way with Feed the Children. On June 4, 2012, Kevin Hagan, formerly with Good360, became the president and CEO of Feed the Children.

In 2013, Feed The Children disclosed that it paid $800,000 to Jones, after he was fired in 2009. The severance payment, made during fiscal year 2012, was disclosed in a 204-page return filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Feed the Children made the payment to settle a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by Jones. The charity paid an additional amount in legal fees to Jones' attorney, Mark Hammons.

On November 15, 2016, the board of directors announced Travis Arnold would be serving as executive director and interim CEO. In early 2017, Arnold was made Feed the Children's new official president and CEO, positions he continues to hold as of December 2020.

In August 2020, it was announced that Bregeita Jefferson would become Feed the Children's next Chief International Operations, Finance and Compliance Officer (CIOFCO).

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Feed the Children, established in 1979 and headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is a non-profit organization focused on alleviating childhood hunger. Its mission is "providing hope and resources for those without life's essentials." The organization provides food, essentials, education supplies and disaster relief to those in need across the United States and in 8 countries around the world.

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Famine Imminent in Gaza. Take Action Now.

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There is more than enough food produced in the world to feed everyone on the planet. Yet as many as 783 million people still go hungry.

Global hunger crisis in 2023

Nearly one in ten people around the world go to bed hungry each night, a crisis driven largely by conflict, climate change, and chronic inequality.

Children Suffer from Severe Acute Malnutrition

Of Child Deaths Worldwide Are Due to Hunger & Related Causes

Children Die Each Day from Illnesses Caused by Dirty Water and Unhygienic Living Conditions.

What is hunger?

Hunger is more complicated than empty bellies. It's a multifaceted problem with many root causes and far-reaching impact. The first step to ending the global hunger crisis is to understand what it is and why it exists in a world of plenty.

Who does hunger affect?

An overwhelming majority of the world's hungry people reside in the developing world, where extreme poverty and lack of access to nutritious food often leads to malnutrition. Women and children are particularly vulnerable.

10 Hunger Facts

Download 10 facts about world hunger and learn how you can help us save lives.

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Action Against Hunger, Madagascar

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Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC)

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KEEP UP WITH THE ACTION

Receive the latest news direct from our lifesaving teams.

If opting in to receive SMS updates, you can expect to receive no more than 3 messages a month. Message and data rates may apply. Text "STOP" at any time to opt out.

What Causes World Hunger?

How we fight hunger

Previous Photo Next Photo

The world's hungriest countries

These countries need immediate life-saving help.

There is more than enough food produced in the world to feed everyone on the planet. Yet as many as 783 million people still go hungry.

Global hunger crisis in 2023

Nearly one in ten people around the world go to bed hungry each night, a crisis driven largely by conflict, climate change, and chronic inequality.

Children Suffer from Severe Acute Malnutrition

Of Child Deaths Worldwide Are Due to Hunger & Related Causes

Children Die Each Day from Illnesses Caused by Dirty Water and Unhygienic Living Conditions.

What is hunger?

Hunger is more complicated than empty bellies. It's a multifaceted problem with many root causes and far-reaching impact. The first step to ending the global hunger crisis is to understand what it is and why it exists in a world of plenty.

Who does hunger affect?

An overwhelming majority of the world's hungry people reside in the developing world, where extreme poverty and lack of access to nutritious food often leads to malnutrition. Women and children are particularly vulnerable.

10 Hunger Facts

Download 10 facts about world hunger and learn how you can help us save lives.

Show Photo Credit

Action Against Hunger, Madagascar

Close Photo Credit

Show Photo Credit

Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC)

Close Photo Credit

KEEP UP WITH THE ACTION

Receive the latest news direct from our lifesaving teams.

If opting in to receive SMS updates, you can expect to receive no more than 3 messages a month. Message and data rates may apply. Text "STOP" at any time to opt out.

What Causes World Hunger?

How we fight hunger

Previous Photo Next Photo

The world's hungriest countries

These countries need immediate life-saving help.

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World Hunger Facts & Statistics | Action Against Hunger

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There is more than enough food produced in the world to feed everyone on the planet. Yet as many as 783 million people still go hungry.

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What Hunger Looks Like in

In , people are facing hunger - and of them are children.

people

face hunger.

People facing hunger in are estimated to report needing more per year to meet their food needs.

The average cost of a meal in is . Data from Feeding America's Map the Meal Gap study. Learn more ›

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in

Charitable programs are unable to fully support those facing hunger. The combination of charity and government assistance programs are necessary to help bridge the meal gap.

SNAP, formerly food stamps, provides temporary help for people going through hard times - providing supplemental money to buy food until they can get back on their feet.

In ,

40.3% of households receiving SNAP benefits have children

$2,020,497,444
distributed through 3,434,845,655 in economic activity*.
SNAP generated

*Economists estimate that every dollar a household redeems through SNAP generates about $1.70 in economic activity.

Make a Difference in

The Feeding America network is able to reach 40 million people, largely thanks to the commitment of volunteers. Our communities are stronger when we join together - help give your neighbors a hand up by volunteering at your local food bank.
Pledge to volunteer ›
To make progress toward ending hunger in , we need to make sure our lawmakers in Washington are fighting for those struggling back home. You can help make sure they see how great the need is in - call on lawmakers to make ending hunger a priority.
Contact your member of Congress today ›

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In , people are facing hunger - and of them are children. people face hunger. People facing hunger in are estimated to report needing more per year to meet their food needs. The average cost of a meal in is . Data from Feeding America's Map the Meal Gap study.

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Dayma - SHS

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We might not expect the United States, as one of the wealthiest nations in the world, to have problems ensuring adequate nutrition for its most vulnerable citizens. But, in fact, hunger is a systemic and dangerously large problem, both nationally and in Ohio.
The numbers don't lie.
As of 2016, the following statistics tell the story of hunger both nationally and in Ohio. We're fairly certain you'll find some of these facts shocking:

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Understand Hunger - Hunger Network in Ohio

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We might not expect the United States, as one of the wealthiest nations in the world, to have problems ensuring adequate nutrition for its most vulnerable citizens. But, in fact, hunger is a systemic and dangerously large problem, both nationally and in Ohio. The numbers don't lie.

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what is good and bad about kids getting free lunches.

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Child Nutrition

Child Nutrition

Over half a million children in Ohio live in poverty. Families who live in poverty are often forced to make impossible choices between basic needs. Prior to the current pandemic, nearly one in five children experienced persistent hunger and that number is only growing as more families are losing income, unemployment benefits, and the safety nets in our society are becoming thread bare. Oftentimes, our schools fill critical roles in our communities to help children get the daily nutrition they need. With over a third of children enrolled in these school-based nutrition programs, many children are at risk of going hungry every day leaving many children to lack consistent access to adequate food. The majority live in families with one or more working adults-but are still unable to consistently afford enough food to keep the wolves of hunger from their door.

There is no excuse for any child in America to go hungry and malnourished in the richest nation on Earth. Yet child hunger is a widespread, urgent and shameful problem that cannot wait. We all have to do something- now.

In 2016, Children's Defense Fund-Ohio published an issue brief on early childhood hunger detailing the health and life risks thousands of Ohio's youngest children suffer every day. Babies, toddlers, and preschoolers suffering hunger and malnutrition face increased odds of negative health outcomes during their years of greatest brain development. Food insecure children under age five are:

Nearly two times more likely to be in "fair or poor health";

Nearly two times more likely to experience developmental delays;

Two times as likely to have behavioral problems;

More than twice as likely to be hospitalized;

Two and a half times more likely to have headaches, and

Three times more likely to have stomach aches.

Food insecure children are more likely to be behind in social skills and reading performance in kindergarten. By elementary school they are four times more likely to need mental health counseling. Risks keep accumulating: malnutrition from childhood food insecurity has been linked to adult diseases including diabetes, hyperlipidemia and cardiovascular disease. The stress and anxiety of early childhood hunger also make it harder to learn skills that help later relationship development, school success and workplace productivity.

Babies born to food insecure mothers face tragic odds: they are more likely to be born pre-term and at low birthweight and to struggle with breastfeeding which contributes to increased infant mortality rates. Babies who survive are more likely to struggle with disabilities during childhood and adolescence and face higher risks of chronic disease as adults. School-age food supports of free and reduced price breakfast and lunch are critically important to the health and academic success of older children but young children should not be forced to suffer from lack of food.

Child Hunger Increasing During Pandemic

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act provided support for families and children however much more must be done to address rising child hunger and poverty in the state and more Ohioans find themselves unemployed and lacking basic resources.

Ohioans are increasingly experiencing food insecurity. By the end of April, more than one in five households said their children were not getting enough to eat and two in five households made up of mothers with children under 12 were experiencing food insecurity. This is not an acceptable reality. Congress must take the following actions to ensure that our children and families do not suffer from hunger during this public health emergency.
Increase the SNAP maximum benefit amount and provide greater access to food for families using SNAP to meet their basic nutrition needs
SNAP benefits must be increased. A nationwide 15% increase in SNAP allotments and raise minimum benefits from $16 to $30 to improve access to nutritious foods for every SNAP household. Food stamp applications have surged as over 1.5 million Ohioans have lost their jobs. Prior to the pandemic 1.3 million Ohioans received SNAP benefits each month, and in the week ending April 11, about 29,334 new Ohioans applied for food stamp benefits-a 172% increase from April 2019.

We were recently introduced to Jami Clinkscale of Columbus. Jami relies on a $580 per month disability check to make ends meet. After COVID-19 hit, she went from feeding two people to six after taking in her grandchildren when their mother got evicted. Jami is struggling to feed her family on just $170 a month in SNAP benefits. She is often forced to supplement SNAP benefits with food pantries and skip meals so her grandchildren do not go hungry. As Jami said, "I've eaten a lot less just to make sure they get what they need."

Jami's experience today demonstrates that SNAP benefits are too low to adequately feed many families. SNAP benefits average only $1.40 per person a meal and almost half of families use their monthly allotments within the first few weeks of the month. With unemployment and hardship on the rise, families' food budgets are only being stretched even further. We must urgently expand SNAP benefits to provide these families much-needed relief. Increasing SNAP benefits will not only help Ohioans keep food on the table, but will also stimulate Ohio's economy as these dollars are spent at local retailers.

During this crisis and beyond, it is also critical that we allow greater access to food for SNAP families. To do this, the next Relief Package should

(1) provide families using SNAP benefits with the option to use their benefits to purchase hot food products ready for immediate consumption;

(2) suspend all SNAP administrative rules that would terminate or weaken benefits; and

(3) suspend the three-month SNAP time limit for unemployed adults without minors for the duration of the economic downturn. The Families First legislation only suspended these rules for the duration of the public health emergency, but an extension is needed to ensure coverage continues while the economy is weak and unemployment is high.

Lastly, the state of Ohio experienced significant job growth and was seeing positive economic signals before the pandemic. In a matter of months we have seen a dramatic spike in our unemployment numbers. It will take time to recover economically and for jobs to return and businesses to re-open. All SNAP administrative rules that would terminate or weaken benefits must be suspended for the remainder of the economic downturn.
Extend the Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT) Program to provide continued relief to children and families
With over 1.6 million children learning from home during the months of March through the begiing of June, many children missed out on school breakfasts and lunches. Oftentimes and for many children, these meals are a critical source of nutrition during the school week. In response, the Ohio's Pandemic-EBT program was approved in early May. The program, administered by ODJFS, provides up to $302.00 to students who are eligible for free or reduced-priced meals and pumps a total of $254 million directly into our economy. While these funds provide some financial relief for families struggling to put food on the table, they will not dissipate hunger over the summer months. Through the hard work of our state agencies to get the Pandemic-EBT program up and running, we have the infrastructure in place to provide additional funds to these food-insecure children and families.

In addition, P-EBT funds in Ohio only went out to K-12 th graders, leaving behind our youngest children. P-EBT benefits should be extended to young children who received free or reduced-price meals in preschool and childcare programs.

As recently as July 30 th, we have heard that counties throughout the state of Ohio began announcing that school districts within their boundaries and under their public health department authority will remain closed for a portion or the entire fall semester. With our school buildings remaining closed and students engaging in school through hybrid and distanced learning, they will once again be without nutrition support. We must continue the P-EBT program to make sure children and families have access to nutrition.

New! CDF-Ohio Partnered with Community Organizations Across Ohio to Learn about Barriers, Challenges, and Opportunities to Improve the SNAP Program for People Who Need it.

Through support from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), Children's Defense Fund-Ohio (CDF-Ohio) and the Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition, in collaboration with five community organizations, facilitated focus groups and interviews with 86 current or former SNAP participants, hosted a statewide SNAP stakeholder convening, and conducted six individual key informant interviews. The goal of these sessions was to identify challenges with and opportunities to strengthen healthy eating through participation in SNAP. This report seeks to elevate SNAP participants', community members', and stakeholders' experiences by recommending initiatives that may improve access to healthy eating through participation in SNAP.
Read the Final Report Here!
Blog Posts

Barriers to accessing and navigating OhioWIC: user experiences can inform improvements

May 2, 2022

Katherine Ungar - Policy Associate - Children's Defense Fund-Ohio ( kungar@childrensdefense.org)
Hope A. Lane-Gavin - Fellow, Health Equity - The Center for Community Solutions ( hlane@communitysolutions.com)

Over the past several months, The Center for Community Solutions and Children's Defense Fund-Ohio have worked together to evaluate the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program to Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). WIC is a critical program, with a proven track record for not only improving infant mortality and maternal health, but for contributing to the long-term health, growth, and cognitive development benefits to children. To learn more about the personal experiences and impressions of OhioWIC, we are speaking with both WIC participants and WIC program directors across the state. In these conversations, WIC participants and directors have identified a number of barriers to accessing or utilizing the program. Our hope is to bring awareness to these challenges, remove or mitigate them, and improve user experience through public policy. Download full issue brief here.

Child Nutrition Reauthorization (CNR) - An Opportunity to End Child Hunger

March 9, 2021

By Katherine Ungar, JD, Policy Associate

There has never been a greater need to strengthen our federal child nutrition policies and programs than now. The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in overwhelming and unprecedented levels of child hunger across our nation. Consequences of child hunger go beyond not having enough food. Children's physical and mental health depend on them receiving enough nutrients each day. Malnutrition undermines a child's ability to flourish and reach their full learning potential.

Thanks to federal programs, millions of children benefit from the school nutrition programs authorized by the federal government. Federal nutrition programs play a critical role in helping to reduce child hunger and must be strengthened to meet the needs of all children. These programs touch millions of children each day and lead to improved child well-being.

Nutrition Support Means Greater Higher Education Access & Equity for Ohioans

February 19, 2021

By Alex F. Coccia, Policy Consultant

All Ohioans, their families, and their communities stand to benefit from a thriving higher education system that prioritizes access and affordability of its institutions, including the ability for those attending them to meet their own basic needs as they are pursuing their degrees.

A hallmark of Ohio is our robust and expansive higher education system, comprising 14 public universities, 24 regional branch campuses, 23 community colleges, and over 70 not-for-profit colleges and universities. Accessible higher education is a fundamental force for equity, economic mobility, community investment and development, and enhancing the knowledge and skills of Ohioans to pursue employment of their choosing and gain greater stability for their families. However, a crisis has been looming on the horizon for higher education institutions in Ohio and across the country for well over a decade now, further exposed and intensified by the pandemic.

Between 2008 and 2018, higher education has seen financial challenges across the country. While Ohio has held off major increases in tuition for public, four-year colleges since the recession (5.2% compared to 106.9% in Louisiana), our state has spent 16.9% less per student in that time period. These tuition increases and financial aid decreases have fallen disproportionately on the shoulders of Black and Latinx families in Ohio, for whom the average price of attendance at a public four-year university is 52 and 41% of median income, respectively, compared to 31% overall. These tuition increases can be cost prohibitive for students with low-incomes seeking college degrees, increase the debt students take on, and reduce future earnings, especially when paired with student loan repayment.

Ohio Children are Hungry - Work Requirements and Other Barriers are Not the Answer

February 8, 2021

By Alex F. Coccia, D.Phil., Policy Consultant

The wealthiest nation in the world should not have a hunger crisis - and yet, more than one in four children in Ohio (27.1%) will live in food insecure households (up from 18.9% in 2018). For Black, Latino, and Indigenous children, food insecurity is even more prevalent.

The structural racism driving persistent inequities in income, education, medical care, employment, and housing also creates policy and program barriers for families of color to meet the nutritional needs of their children. According to the Census Bureau's most recent survey, Black and Latino adults were more than twice as likely as White adults to report that their household did not get enough to eat (19 percent and 21, respectively, compared to 8).

As I wrote about previously, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is one of the most effective safety-net programs at reaching eligible people, providing access to nutritious meals that are unaffordable for many families, and alleviating the most extreme poverty and hunger. It is a lifeline for children in Ohio, where 40.3% of households receiving SNAP benefits have children. Political scientist Linda Williams found that the Food Stamp Program (renamed SNAP in 2008) greatly contributed to reducing hunger and malnutrition for Americans in poverty, and had far-reaching impacts for the health of Black Americans, drastically reducing both infant mortality and malnutrition rates within five years of its implementation. The program is also a boon to the economy with the over $2 billion distributed through SNAP to Ohioans generating over $3.4 billion in economic activity.

SNAP Expanded to Temporarily Benefit Ohio College Students

February 3, 2021

By Alex F. Coccia, D.Phil., Policy Consultant

College students have faced severe disruption and instability because of the pandemic. Recent temporary changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can help them access nutritional assistance and provide millions of dollars to local Ohio economies.

SNAP is one of the largest safety-net programs, serving nearly 1.4 million Ohioans in 2019. It is also incredibly effective at responding to changes in the economy, improving health outcomes, reducing poverty and food insecurity for children, boosting the income of families who work low-paying jobs or are searching for work, supporting individuals with caregiving responsibilities or face barriers to work, investing in local economies, and reaching those eligible.

Despite the successes of the program, college students with low-incomes have long been , even with high rates experiencing food insecurity.

Ohio Must Prepare to Quickly Extend P-EBT Benefits to Youngest Ohioans

January 28, 2021

By Alex F. Coccia, D.Phil., Policy Consultant

Although Ohio still is awaiting guidance from the federal government, soon many Ohio children enrolled in child care will be able to access direly needed pandemic nutritional support for the first time since the pandemic began.

Children in Ohio are at a heightened risk of experiencing poverty, especially during the pandemic, and it has become increasingly difficult for their parents and caregivers to put food on the table. Data from the American Community Survey taken from 2015-2019 show that 20% of Ohio children live in poverty, i.e. in households with income of less than $26,000 for a family of four. In 2019, 170,000 of these children experiencing poverty were under the age of six. We also know that Black and Hispanic children have higher rates, 46% and 38% respectively, compared to 14% of white children.

Congress Passes COVID Relief: A Summary of the Legislation & Where it Falls Short

December 22, 2020

By Kelly Vyzral, Senior Health Policy Asssociate

After months of stalemates and negotiations, Congress has finally passed much needed COVID relief legislation. The following is a summary of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. Analyses of specific provisions will be provided in the weeks ahead as we learn more. Read more here.

Latest COVID Relief Bill Increases SNAP Benefits Temporarily and Extends P-EBT Program to Young Children

December 22, 2020

By Katherine Ungar, JD, Policy Associate

As I wrote about here and here, the pandemic has numerous consequences-perhaps the most dire of them- hunger. Many families are faced with making the impossible decision of paying rent or buying enough food to feed the family. Around 13% of Americans (27.4 million people) reported they "sometimes or often do not have enough to eat" on a weekly basis, according to the latest Household Pulse Survey released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Dec. 16. This includes 14 million households with children reporting that they do not have enough to eat. That is why we have repeatedly called on Congress to include a SNAP boost in their next relief package. Finally, Congress has acted.

After several months awaiting relief, Congress has agreed upon a $900 billion stimulus package. According to several news reports and a summary of the legislation, the package is expected to include $13 billion in increased benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other child nutrition benefits.

Columbus City Council Hears Testimony on Healthy Options for Children

Columbus City Council Member, Prescilla Tyson, Chair of the Health Committee, invited The Children's Defense Fund-Ohio along with the American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association, and Nationwide Children's Hospital, to offer testimony focused on the importance of "whole child" wellbeing and the providing healthy options for flourishing lives. Council is considering legislation that would make water the default beverage for children's meals throughout the city of Columbus. Our colleague, Katherine Ungar, met with city council on Thursday, December 3, 2020 and below is an excerpt of her testimony.
Health Education Standards: Setting an Educational Framework for Ohio's Children to Lead Healthy Lives
By Katherine Ungar, JD, Policy Associate

Today, on December 8, 2020, Senate Bill 121 (SB 121) will have its 6 th hearing in the Senate Education Committee. In short, the bill authorizes the State Board of Education to adopt statewide health education standards for grades kindergarten through twelve. Local Boards of Education then have the choice to utilize the health education standards or not. In other words, no local board of education would be required to adopt those standards. The bill has bi-partisan support, sponsored by Senator Vernon Sykes and Senator Stephanie Kunze with several cosponsors, including, among others, Senator Peggy Lehner, Chair of the Senate Education Committee.
Ohio is the only state in the Country without health education standards.
Without another Relief Bill from Congress, a Growing Number of Families Cannot Afford to Put Food on the Table

October 28, 2020

By Katherine Ungar, JD, Policy Associate

The pandemic casts a looming shadow on the state of childhood hunger in our country and right here in Ohio. Feeding America, a national hunger relief organization, predicts that 1 in 4 children could be food insecure by the end of 2020, up from 1 in 7 children in 2019. In a recent household pulse survey by the US Census Bureau, 11.1 percent of adults in Ohio reported that their households "sometimes or often did not have enough food to eat" in the past seven days.

Record-setting unemployment, loss in health care coverage, unexpected expenses, and lack of access to school meals, are among the myriad of reasons why the pandemic has caused a rise in the number of hungry children and families.

Food insecurity not only can impede a child's ability to develop and learn, but also can cause serious health issues. Children who don't get enough to eat are more likely to be hospitalized and face higher risks of health conditions like anemia and asthma, putting them at a serious disadvantage at the start of life. Children who struggle to get enough to eat are more likely to repeat a grade in elementary school, experience development impairments in areas like language and motor skills, and face more problems in school and other social settings. Congress MUST act quickly to pass a second relief package in order to keep our children fed and prevent them from going hungry.

Food Deserts in Appalachia: The Impacts of COVID-19 on Families and Children

October 6, 2020

By Elinor Broy, College Intern

Not only are rates of unemployment, homelessness, poverty, and food insecurity continuing to rise in Ohio and across the country due to COVID-19, but also, more families and children are living in food deserts with limited access to healthy and affordable nutrients. With local businesses and stores closing and corporate grocery chains full of empty shelves, many lower income, rural communities do not have sufficient access to basic needs, including food.

The detrimental effects of COVID-19 have resulted in more families qualifying for SNAP benefits and longer food pantry lines, but with less fresh and healthy food resources to accommodate these increasing needs. According to the Brookings Institution, currently there are 14 million children in the United States in need of immediate food assistance. Read more .

Critical Food Initiatives for Ohio's Children

August 13, 2020

By Katherine Ungar, JD, Policy Associate

Food insecurity across the United States has drastically increased both here in Ohio and across the country. From March to June, the number of Ohioans who reported that they "sometimes or often did not have enough to eat" rose by 30%, a number that will likely continue to increase as families lose unemployment benefits and are offered no additional relief. No Kid Hungry reports that prior to the Pandemic, 1 in 7 kids in the United States lived with hunger, but as schools and businesses close and budgets are stretched thin, that number could rise to 1 in 4 children. 1 in 7 children is too many, 1 in 4 is appalling. We have the tools to fight hunger, we need action.
The Pandemic-EBT Program, authorized by the Coronavirus Relief Act, has been shown to reduce food insecurity.
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act provided support for families and children, including approving a Pandemic-EBT program. Almost every state submitted a plan and has been approved to operate a P-EBT program in their state. A newly released report from the Brookings Institute analyzed the P-EBT program across the country, and concluded that the program made a significant impact on child food security. Read more .

Ohioans are Increasingly Experiencing Food Insecurity, an Unacceptable Reality in 2020
The state of food insecurity in our country
May 8, 2020

By Katherine Ungar, JD Policy Associate

As a result of the public health emergency, food insecurity across the United States has drastically . By the end of April, more than households say their children are not getting enough to eat, a rate three times higher than during the 2008 Great Recession. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines food insecurity as a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life. Food insecurity is one used to measure and assess the risk of hunger.

Food insecurity is a complex problem and often does not exist in isolation. Working families may face food insecurity for a countless number of reasons, including lay-offs at work, medical expenses, or an unexpected car accident or maintenance. The pandemic has exposed many families to this surprising and harsh reality.

Meeting Children's Nutritional Needs in Uncertain Times
April 2, 2020 By Katherine Ungar, JD, Policy Associate and with contributions from Tziporah Tiller, College Intern
School breakfast and lunch programs provide our children much-needed nutritious meals so they can learn and be healthy. Children who come from food-insecure homes obtain a significant portion of their daily calories and nutrients from the meals they receive at schools. Programs like the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) ensure children receive meals at school. The NSLP has been shown to reduce childhood food insecurity, poor health, and obesity. National and state programs like NSLP are critical for the well-being of our children, particularly food insecure and low-income children. Read more here.

Resources

Ohio P-EBT Program: Visit this website for more information about the problem and to find out more about eligibility and benefits
Press Release: Boost food aid to fight hunger, bolster economy, July 29, 2020 Press Release: USDA Extends Flexibilities, Allowing Kids to Continue to Access Meals Safely through the Summer Months, May 15, 2020 Press Release: Ohio Cannot Wait Any Longer to Submit a Plan to the USDA for Pandemic-EBT, April 16, 2020 SNAP Must Be Strengthened to Fight Child Hunger During the Pandemic and Beyond, May 2020 The Early Childhood Hunger Imperative, January 2016

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Child Nutrition Over half a million children in Ohio live in poverty. Families who live in poverty are often forced to make impossible choices between basic needs. Prior to the current pandemic, nearly one in five children experienced persistent hunger and that number is only growing as

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https://www.cleveland.com/data/2022/06/more-ohio-families-struggle-to-put-food-on-the-table-than-at-any-time-in-17-months-new-census-estimate.html

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More Ohio families struggle to put food on the table than at any time in 17 months - new Census estimates

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Nearly 12% of families reported food insecurity in the beginning of June.

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The United States Can End Hunger and Food Insecurity for Millions of People

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Policymakers must reimagine the United States’ long-term approach to food production and distribution to build an equitable and sustainable system that works for all.

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Importance of Nutrition on Health in America | Feeding America

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Learn how hunger and food insecurity can have profound implications on a family’s health.

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What Hunger Looks Like in

In , people are facing hunger - and of them are children.

people

face hunger.

People facing hunger in are estimated to report needing more per year to meet their food needs.

The average cost of a meal in is . Data from Feeding America's Map the Meal Gap study. Learn more ›

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in

Charitable programs are unable to fully support those facing hunger. The combination of charity and government assistance programs are necessary to help bridge the meal gap.

SNAP, formerly food stamps, provides temporary help for people going through hard times - providing supplemental money to buy food until they can get back on their feet.

In ,

40.3% of households receiving SNAP benefits have children

$2,020,497,444
distributed through 3,434,845,655 in economic activity*.
SNAP generated

*Economists estimate that every dollar a household redeems through SNAP generates about $1.70 in economic activity.

Make a Difference in

The Feeding America network is able to reach 40 million people, largely thanks to the commitment of volunteers. Our communities are stronger when we join together - help give your neighbors a hand up by volunteering at your local food bank.
Pledge to volunteer ›
To make progress toward ending hunger in , we need to make sure our lawmakers in Washington are fighting for those struggling back home. You can help make sure they see how great the need is in - call on lawmakers to make ending hunger a priority.
Contact your member of Congress today ›

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In , people are facing hunger - and of them are children. people face hunger. People facing hunger in are estimated to report needing more per year to meet their food needs. The average cost of a meal in is . Data from Feeding America's Map the Meal Gap study.

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we know that food insecurity is something that doesn't get talked about as much as it should. This leaves the people who are food insecurity hungry or "scared" to ask for help.

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What are some strategies that can help to reduce the amount of people, specially children, who are food insecure?

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What can we do to help those who need food? And why aren´t school lunches free anymore?

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America's hunger crisis is coming to a head. With supply chain problems and inflated food prices alongside family economic struggles stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of Ohio families facing food insecurity has exploded.

Meanwhile, the Columbus Dispatch reported Tuesday, 700,000 low-income Ohio households could see big cuts to the food stamps program in July as COVID pandemic aid expires. In March, 334,000 more people in Ohio were served by food pantries than two years ago.

"It's a confluence of many factors," explained Ohio Association of Foodbanks Executive Director Lisa Hamler-Fugitt in an interview Wednesday. "When China catches a cold, the rest of the world catches pneumonia. So a lot of this has to do with the fact that we don't manufacture much, and a lot of processed foods have a lot of ingredients. A lot of domestic food producers ship products overseas and then ship it back in after it's been processed. So there are shipping containers sitting on docks that have been sitting there for months."

Things are so bad right now, Hamler-Fugitt said, that even the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which can typically purchase large quantities of food through the Emergency Food Assistance Program, had to cancel 250 semi-truck loads of product for Ohio because they can't procure it.

While supply chains remain choked, she said, individual donors are giving less as they face their own financial stressors; food retailers aren't making donations because they're selling everything they can procure to customers; and manufacturers aren't overproducing, so there is no excess to donate either. Meanwhile, food prices themselves are being driven up.

Aluminum, plastic and glass shortages are also causing a problem for shelf-stable food packaging, she said.

Ohio is an aging state, Hamler-Fugitt said, so we have a lot more older Ohioans who are out of the workforce.

"If you look at these SNAP rollbacks, who gets absolutely decimated, it's the Greatest Generation. It's poor seniors who are trying to eek out an existence on very low Social Security," she said.

Rising costs for housing, utilities and prescription drugs make the problem even worse, she said, as food is generally the most fungible item in most people's budget.

"You may have a steak pay, but you have a hot dog budget," she said.

As opposed to the Great Recession when Ohio's state finances were in the hole, the state is currently sitting on a multi-billion dollar rainy day fund, has about $550 million in unallocated funds from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), and just clocked revenues several billion dollars over budget projections.

"The state is in very good financial shape and we're asking the state for $50 million ARPA dollars immediately to purchase food to be able to handle all the people who are coming to us. That will make sure that we've got adequate inventories for when these SNAP benefits rollbacks go into effect in July."

The foodbank association's next budget allocation is slated to come in July as well, she said. Currently, all of their state funding is gone. The core funding for the Ohio Food Program, the pandemic dollars, it's all been exhausted trying to keep up with the current food demand, Hamler-Fugitt said.

Long-term, she said, the federal government needs to look at extending the pandemic SNAP increases past July.

"That allotment has really helped so many poor Ohio families. That helped them offset the food cost inflation," she said. "We also need additional money in The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). We told U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack back in November we need Congress to appropriate $900 million minimum for TEFAP. That didn't happen. We got about half of that."

Food banks can't continue to rely on the generosity of foundations, corporations and individual donors, she said.

"We need government intervention and we need government support to be able to make sure that our food banks, our food pantries, and our soup kitchens are stocked and they're feeding their hungry friends and neighbors with that food."

More broadly, she said, Americans need wages to go up so they can stand in grocery store lines instead of food pantry lines.

Hunger is always a leading indicator in economic cycles, Hamler-Fugitt said, and the current crisis comes from decades-long disinvestment from American food systems and manufacturing capacity in favor of offshoring those things.

"America thought it was best to offshore everything, and now we find ourselves in a situation where we are dealing with global crises on every front," she said. "We are globally dependent, and that's what scares me, and that's not even calculating in the impacts of climate change and severe weather patterns."

For all the talk in America about energy independence, food independence barely gets mentioned.

Forty-two million Americans are without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food. In Ohio, 1 in 5 children have inadequate access to enough nutritious food.

In 1980, there were about two dozen food banks in the United States. Now, there are more than 350, which serve 63,000 affiliated pantries and shelters.

"History teaches us what happens when societies can't feed themselves," Hamler-Fugitt said.

Who's hungry?

According to Move for Hunger, "Although hunger affects every community in the United States, some groups of people are more vulnerable than others. African Americans are two times more likely to be food insecure than white, non-Hispanic households. Senior citizens are the fastest-growing food insecure population in the United States. One in 4 veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars is food insecure. And a growing body of research shows that the number of college students facing hunger is skyrocketing."

According to Feeding America, 72% of the households served by its affiliated food banks live at or below 100% of the federal poverty line and have a median annual household income of $9,175.

America should be investing in agriculture and agricultural food production, Hamler-Fugitt said. We have fresh water from the Great Lakes and rich and abundant farmland.

"If we could produce as much food as possible within a 400-square-mile radius, that greatly reduces our need to transport and truck food," she said. "I'm a big fan of Ag. I know where my food comes from."

Another big thing government could do, she said, is pass Build Back Better, pointing to the enormous benefit the child tax credit provided folks before it was cut off at the beginning of the year.

"Low-income, working families in Ohio and across the U.S. who benefited from that child tax credit, that's what was keeping them going," she said. "For the two million-plus families that got, on average, $422 a month from that credit, that kept groceries in the house; that kept their lights on; that helped them absorb any increase in their rent. Losing that was a big blow."

Hamler-Fugitt said that state lawmakers across the aisle are listening. The Association is asking for $50 million in ARPA money in the first allotment, and consideration of an additional $133 million in the second allotment, which she said is on par with what other states have done to support food banks.

"We've had really good, positive support (from lawmakers)," she said. "Everybody gets it. Hunger has never really been a partisan issue in the state. Everybody eats, so everybody understands what it's like. If you have the resources to be standing in the grocery store check-out line, that's great, but not all of our brothers and sisters and our friends and neighbors can say that."
How can you help? Follow this link, and remember, while food donations are great and much appreciated, for every dollar you donate foodbanks can leverage four meals for hungry Ohioans.

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Families going hungry: Food insecurity is bad in Ohio and poised to explode - Ohio Capital Journal

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America's hunger crisis is coming to a head. With supply chain problems and inflated food prices alongside family economic struggles stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of Ohio families facing food insecurity has exploded. Meanwhile, the Columbus Dispatch reported Tuesday, 700,000 low-income Ohio households could see big cuts to the food stamps program in July as COVID pandemic aid expires.

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Students living in low income households can apply for free/ reduced lunch. There are some negative stereotypes that people who rely on food aid face.

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We know that food insecurity is a big problem around the world. And that our school lunch isn´t free anymore. which shows how is isn´t just happening in one place but in a lot of places around the world. There are a lot of people struggling to be able to get food. Everything is more expensive.

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Food insecurity is a huge obstacle we encounter in and outside of school and entering the real world. There may be students or people in general in America who can't afford food because their family is struggling economically and getting, buying, or purchasing food costs them a lot of money.

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What kinds of resources do we have or could have to lower the amount of people with food insecurity?

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https://www.fh.org/

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Giving Through FH Matching Program Answer Prayers No matter how complicated our needs, God provides - sometimes dramatically, and often working through the compassion of others. Olivia lives in Guatemala... ...

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Food for the Hungry is a non profit organization, focused on ending poverty. Together, we transform lives through child sponsorship and generous donations.

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What can we do to help those who are struggling to get food?
What is our society gonna do in order to help those are in need?

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https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-u-s/key-statistics-graphics/

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https://fox8.com/news/why-school-lunches-will-no-longer-be-free-for-most-students/

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National School Lunch Program

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The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to children each school day. The program was established under the National School Lunch Act, signed by President Harry Truman in 1946.

Program Fact Sheet

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The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to children each school day. The program was established under the National School Lunch Act, signed by President Harry Truman in 1946.

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https://jfs.ohio.gov/ofam/foodstamps.stm

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What are the pros and cons of all students receiving free school lunch?

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https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiQxLzY-PH8AhWTg4kEHf_3AcQQFnoECB0QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.feedingamerica.org%2F&usg=AOvVaw1Czqvbuo7zZ-ztiSw0Y8AV

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local food pantry and shelters.

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What resources are available to help reduce the amount of people hungry within our community?

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Does the government really care about starving people? Is the government providing aid to those who are not so fortunate.

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Feeding America

https://www.feedingamerica.org/

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why isn’t school lunch free anymore?
Is there more we can do?
Can we turn all our food waste into a solution for hunger?

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We know that Food Insecurity is a huge problem in America. Especially after the pandemic, individual student lives have changed. Having free lunch and breakfast for a school year and having to come back to paid lunches was a shock to a lot of students I know. I know that in some states they have public schools with free lunch and breakfasts and so Ohio should be no different. A fed child finds it easier to navigate through a school day.

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https://thescopeboston.org/8532/uncategorized/how-free-meal-programs-in-the-boston-area-are-helping-to-ease-food-insecurity/

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When the clock strikes 4:45 p.m., children in the after-school program at the American Chinese Christian Educational & Social Services, or ACCESS, in Chinatown race to a counter outside of their classroom stacked high with prepackaged food trays.

They run excitedly back to their desks with their meal, which includes fresh fruit and a small carton of milk. Whether they're nibbling on shredded carrots or struggling to peel their orange, Annie Tran, the director of children and families at ACCESS, knows that the children she cares for "may not acknowledge it, but they do appreciate these meals."

When Tran was younger and attended after-school programs, she did not have a "display of healthy choices" for snacks, often receiving a palm-sized peanut butter and jelly sandwich or a packaged brownie. Remembering how she would still feel hungry after eating these snacks, she wanted to ensure that the children she serves now did not experience the same, in terms of both quantity and health of the food options.

"Because of these free meal programs being able to emphasize a lot on health, [the children] are not consuming so much cheaper junk food," Tran said.

The free meal program offered by ACCESS works to combat food insecurity among the children of Chinatown. The organization, which primarily serves low-income families, works to make sure that children are consistently fed healthy food after a long day at school.

More than 100,000 Massachusetts children are food insecure and are facing the threat of hunger daily, according to Feeding America. The ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic aggravate these numbers, but there are now some remedies within the walls of school cafeterias with the help of volunteer and nonprofit organizations. Free meal programs in schools and other food delivery initiatives have played a huge role in the battle to end childhood hunger in the state, offering children healthy meal options and opportunities that they may not receive at home.

Food insecurity rates have been on the rise in the Bay State, especially amid the ongoing pandemic. Feeding America , a nonprofit organization that works to achieve hunger relief in America, reports that one in 11, or 119,300 children, face hunger every day in Massachusetts. The Greater Boston Food Bank , or GBFB, found that in eastern Massachusetts, food insecurity among children rose in 2021 by 117% - becoming one of the highest percentage increases for a food bank's service area in the United States .

GBFB has also observed general upward trends in food insecurity for households with children. A June 2022 found that 40% of Massachusetts households with children living in them encountered food insecurity in 2021. This is only a slight decrease from 2020 - where 42% of households with children faced hunger. Structural issues within employment and income flow can exacerbate these numbers.

"We see lots of wage disparities, working folks not earning a living, people working three jobs and not being able to provide for their families," said Kate Adams, the public policy manager at GBFB. "These are some of the upstream factors that are contributing to food insecurity."

The same 2022 report found that 32% of adults in Massachusetts experienced food insecurity in 2021 - a 68% increase from 2019. These rates were higher among marginalized communities in the state.

"We are in the midst of a hunger crisis unlike any other in our lifetime," said Erin McAleer, the CEO of Project Bread, a Boston nonprofit that connects Massachusetts communities to reliable food sources, in an email interview. "Even before the COVID-19 crisis hit, far too many Massachusetts residents were facing food insecurity."

Currently, there is a light at the end of a very long tunnel with this issue. Six states, including Massachusetts , have guaranteed free meals for all students attending a school participating in the National School Lunch Program , or NSLP, for the 2022-23 school year. Created in 1946, the NSLP is a federally assisted meal program that operates in 95,000 public and nonprofit private schools and, most recently, has offered free or reduced nutritionally balanced lunches to over 26 million American school children daily.

"Universal free school meals in Massachusetts have been an enormous success over the past two school years," McAleer said in the email. "In March 2022, lunch participation was 42.3% higher for school lunch over pre-pandemic (March 2019) participation rates in schools not previously able to provide universal school meals. Statewide this represented an additional 53,744 more students eating lunch daily when free from the barriers of the old rules of the National School Lunch Program."

As food insecurity becomes a more discussed issue, solutions become more urgent. With children attending school for a majority of the calendar year, free or reduced school lunches have become an emerging remedy to hunger throughout the region.

The Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010 , a successful law that focused on enacting policies to end childhood hunger and promoting the overall physical health of children through nutritious school meal programs, expired in September 2015, but the programs are still in operation. In July 2022, a reauthorization bill called The Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act proposed a strengthening and expansion of the 2010 act in terms of meal programs during the summer and at after-school care centers.

The Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act contains the Community Eligibility Provision , which " allows the nation's highest poverty schools and districts to serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to all enrolled students without collecting household applications." In Somerville, Massachusetts, there are seven schools that are eligible for this provision, said Karyn Novakowski, the nutrition and sustainability coordinator for Somerville Public Schools.

The provision allows families to bypass the application process for free or reduced school lunches, a detail that may be important to many families in the district.

"There are some families who aren't comfortable applying for free or reduced lunch or don't know how to do it," Novakowski said. "Even with all the support that we give to people who are non-native English speakers, there can still be a huge barrier. So I think it impacts a lot more kids than we realize to have free lunch for everyone."

The Somerville school district has a standard set for healthy eating in cafeterias. Students are required to take a minimum number of components from certain food groups for each meal, ensuring that their diet is balanced and nutritious.

"A lot of the time, breakfast, lunch and after-school snacks served at school are the only meals that some kids are getting in a day," Novakowski said. "So it's really important to us that we offer a variety of choices throughout the week."

This free meal program in Somerville provides students with the foundation to lead healthy lives in the future.

"I think one of the benefits is that we are able to provide not just a variety of nutrients, but a variety of different flavors that come from a variety of cultures," Novakowski said. "When they go out into the world and they have to make their own choices about food beyond just what their family is able to provide, they will hopefully be more open to eating a variety of foods."

Keira Kolostyak, a sophomore studying architecture at the Wentworth Institute of Technology, grew up with free breakfast and lunch at her middle and high schools in Massachusetts. She and many of her peers ate school lunches almost every day, something she believes was convenient to both child and parent alike.

"It can be a hassle to have your parents pack you a lunch. Of course, when you're a kid, you don't make your own lunch," she said, later adding, "Free meals allow students to not feel pressured to have a packed lunch and their parents don't have an added pressure of making it."

Kolostyak also views free school meals as an equalizer among children, especially when the cafeteria can contain students from different income backgrounds.

"Say a kid has a lunch packed for them with a really nice meal; another kid may not have that same privilege," she said. "I think that free meals create a way to keep the kids from feeling pressured to have a certain type of meal, because with them, all the kids just equally have one healthy meal."

Food insecurity is an ever-present issue in local communities. With the help of committed volunteers and advocates working for policy changes, there is hope that affected parents and citizens can stop wondering when their next healthy meal may come around.

"Do I put food on the table for my kids or do I pay the electric bill?" said GBFB's Kate Adams. "These are the kinds of questions that nobody should have to face."

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How free meal programs in the Boston area are helping to ease food insecurity

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When the clock strikes 4:45 p.m., children in the after-school program at the American Chinese Christian Educational & Social Services, or ACCESS, in Chinatown race to a counter outside of their classroom stacked high with prepackaged food trays. They run excitedly back to their desks with their meal, which includes fresh fruit and a small...

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Why do we have to have specific items in our lunch? I will often get stopped and told to go back and get something else from the lunch selection. One of the weird ones is if I get a PBJ the lunch lady’s always make me get 2.

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Is there any way that the federal government could use its budget to ensure that students (and really any person) have access to nutritious food?

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Can kids get free lunches if they can’t afford them?
How much do shelters help with homeless people?

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How would our community be different if there was more access to food and more people donated to food pantry’s?

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How do kids and families qualify for free lunch programs? Do these programs provide nutritious food?

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Michelle Obama worked to create healthier lunch’s with less starchy foods and more fruits and vegetables.

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I know school lunches typically cost money. They also usually have fruits and veggies, snacks, and milk. There are programs as well that can help with food security, I’m not sure how much they contribute. You can volunteer at local shelters to help feed people.

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Hunger plagues many students which goes unknown to fellow classmates and teachers.

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I know that school lunch isn’t free anymore and my lunch is roughly 4 dollars each meal. I also know sometimes our schools do canned food drives.

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https://www.fns.usda.gov/cn/2022-23-parent-faqs

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Food insecurity can be a tough and frustrating thing.

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I know that hunger is a big situation happening in the world.

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Students who have a certain household income are eligible for free lunch programs while some are not.

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According to Feeding America, 1 in 8 (over 9 million) kids were at risk for hunger in 2021

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During COVID and the summer after that first school year school lunches were free and available to family’s who didn’t have access to much food- Ella Seaman

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School lunch isn’t free to some students

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https://newrepublic.com/article/170193/fight-food-insecurity-iowa-snap

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A Nationwide Fight Over Food Insecurity Is Just Beginning

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From a draconian new proposal in Iowa to farm bill deliberations in Washington, the ideological battles over food aid will soon kick off—and no one knows who will end up paying the price.