The title says it all. No need for a very long diary. Via Yahoo News (AP really):
An estimated 3.5 million children under the age of 5 are at risk of hunger in the United States, according to a look at government numbers by an anti-hunger group.
That's more than 17 percent of children who could suffer cognitive and developmental damage if they are not properly fed.
Now study was sponsored by ConAgra Foods Foundation, so we must take resuls with a grain (or a shovel) of salt.
more below the fold ...
As if that wasn't outrageous enough:
The study also shows that in 11 states, more than 20 percent of children under 5 are at risk of going hungry. Louisiana has the highest rate, with just under a quarter of children at risk, followed by North Carolina, Ohio, Kentucky, Texas, New Mexico, Kansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, Idaho and Arkansas.
Clearly Janet Jackson's boob and defending "traditional" marriage (code for "I hate gays") are a lot more important to our government/courts than the well being of these children.
I remember when we used to try to help hungry children in Africa, Latin America and Asia. It looks like the time has come for them to help us as we cannot even take care of our own.
And yes, our elected President Barack Obama (I still like the sound of that!) has vowed to do something about this, but not for SIX MORE YEARS!
A lack of nutritious food, especially in the earliest formative years, can have a lasting impact on physical and behavioral health, along with development and academic achievement.
"These children without the availability of nutrition don't have the chance to spring back," said Vicki Escarra, president and chief executive of Feeding America.
Escarra said the group is lobbying Congress and the White House for more federal funding for food bank programs that target young children. President Barack Obama has pledged to expand food aid and end childhood hunger by 2015.