New Report Finds Nearly One Quarter of All Children in Twelve States Don't Have Consistent Access to Meals
November 15 2007 - 1:08PM
PR Newswire (US)
America's Second Harvest Reports Millions of Children Facing Hunger
CHICAGO, Nov. 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In the United States,
one out of six children in small towns and big cities lives in a
food insecure household, which means they do not always know where
they will find their next meal. According to the United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA), more than 12 million children in
the United States live in this condition - unable to consistently
access nutritious and adequate amounts of food necessary for a
healthy life. That's enough children to fill every seat in all of
the professional league football, baseball, basketball and hockey
stadiums and every Division One NCAA basketball stadium across the
country at the same time. Now, for the first time, the extent of
child hunger as reported by the USDA has been examined by state in
a new study released today by America's Second Harvest--The
Nation's Food Bank Network and sponsored by ConAgra Foods
Foundation. In 12 states - nearly one quarter of the country - more
than 20 percent of the children live in households without
consistent access to food. "Next time you're in a classroom, look
around and think about what this means in these states with
particularly high numbers," said Vicki Escarra, president and CEO
of America's Second Harvest. "In some states this means four or
five students in a classroom of 20 kids do not consistently get the
nourishment they need to grow and thrive." Researcher John Cook,
Ph.D., of the Boston Medical Center and Boston University School of
Medicine, a nationally-recognized expert on child hunger, conducted
the analysis. The states with the highest rates of child food
insecurity are Texas and New Mexico, where more than 24 percent of
all children are at risk of hunger. The other states with child
hunger rates above 20 percent are: California, Idaho, Kentucky,
Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee and Utah.
Washington, D.C. also has a child food insecurity rate above 20
percent. "This study shows pockets of vulnerability which will help
America's Second Harvest and the ConAgra Foods Foundation's
'Nourish Today, Flourish Tomorrow' partnership develop an overall
strategy to end child hunger in America," said Escarra.
"Identifying areas of greatest need can help in targeting Food
Stamp program outreach efforts, placement of Kids Cafes and
BackPack programs, grants and the expansion of Summer Food Service
program sites." "We hope this new report is a wake-up call for all
Americans," continued Escarra. "The tragedy of child hunger in
America, and the terrible toll it exacts, cannot be overstated.
This report shows that child hunger is not a rare event - is not
limited to the inner-city or hardscrabble rural areas. Child hunger
exists in every state, and in nearly every community. We hope that
people will be motivated to help end this crisis." Child Food
Insecurity in the United States: 2003 -- 2005 analyzes data
collected by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Economic Research Service (ERS) over a three-year period. The USDA
has collected data on domestic food insecurity since 1995, but has
not analyzed it to determine specifically the number of children
living in food insecure households by state. The state-by-state
study was sponsored by the ConAgra Foods Foundation as part of its
"Nourish Today, Flourish Tomorrow" program focused on child hunger
and nutrition education. ConAgra Foods is a major donor to
America's Second Harvest, whose network of food banks and
food-rescue organizations serves 25 million Americans every year.
The ConAgra Foods Foundation program is the largest corporate
initiative solely dedicated to fighting hunger through America's
Second Harvest. ConAgra Foods has contributed more than $20 million
in funding to the organization since 1999. The ConAgra Foods
Foundation also granted 167 trucks to member food banks to help
with the transportation of donated food. They have provided grants
to open 257 Kids Cafes, which are after-school programs that offer
food and a safe haven for children in need nationwide. "Child
hunger affects all of society. Children who aren't eating regularly
and healthfully have a tougher time in school, and don't develop
and grow as they should," said Chris Kircher, president of the
ConAgra Foods Foundation. "This study reminds us that child hunger
is in every community in this country and we can all help in some
way to alleviate this tragedy." "We hope that more people will do
more to help throughout the holiday season and all year long," Said
Kircher. "People can donate funds and food to their local food
banks or they can volunteer at a food bank, a BackPack Program or a
Kids Cafe. "It is a real eye-opener to see that so many states have
such high rates of child food insecurity and hunger," said Dr.
Cook. "Lack of adequate and nutritious food can have devastating
effects on a child's development - both physically and mentally. If
a child is impaired at an early age, sometimes that damage can
never be reversed - and the child never becomes the adult that he
or she should and could have been, simply because he or she went
hungry as a child." To access the study, please go to:
http://www.secondharvest.org/learn_about_hunger/methodology.pdf. An
interactive map showing child food insecurity state by state is at:
http://www.secondharvest.org/childhunger. America's Second Harvest
-- The Nation's Food Bank Network is the largest charitable
domestic hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through
its network of more than 200 member food banks, America's Second
Harvest annually provides assistance to more than 25 million people
in need, including more than 9 million children and nearly 3
million seniors in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and
Puerto Rico. Each year, America's Second Harvest secures and
distributes more than 2 billion pounds of food and grocery products
to support feeding programs at approximately 50,000 local
charitable agencies, including food pantries, soup kitchens,
emergency shelters, after-school programs, and Kids Cafes. To learn
more, please visit http://www.secondharvest.org/. ConAgra Foods
Inc. (NYSE:CAG) is one of North America's largest packaged food
companies, serving consumer grocery retailers, as well as
restaurants and other foodservice establishments. Popular ConAgra
Foods consumer brands include Banquet, Chef Boyardee, Egg Beaters,
Healthy Choice, Hebrew National, Hunt's, Marie Callender's, Orville
Redenbacher's, PAM and many others. For more information, visit
http://www.conagrafoods.com/. ConAgra Foods Feeding Children Better
program is the nation's largest corporate initiative dedicated
solely to fighting child hunger. The Feeding Children Better
program has funded the startup of more than 250 new Kids Cafes,
supported technology and transportation programs for the America's
Second Harvest Network of food banks (including the purchase of 167
trucks for food banks), and sponsored the Ad Council child hunger
campaign. Feeding Children Better is funded by ConAgra Foods, Inc.,
one of North America's largest packaged food companies. For more
information, visit http://www.conagrafoods.com/ DATASOURCE:
America's Second Harvest CONTACT: Ross Fraser of American's Second
Harvest, +1-312-641-6422 Web Site: http://www.secondharvest.org/
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