17 million children in the US are going hungry, or 1 out of every 4 children under the age of 18 going to bed hungry in the US each night. Some of these children are experiencing malnutrition which is an issue with long lasting implications which can impact a child's school performance and limit their overall cognitive development.
The increase in hungry children is being caused by staggering unemployment and an ailing economy.
According to a story in the Boston Globe, prior to the economic slump in 2007 rates of children under 3 that were underweight were at 12 percent and in 2010 they increased to 18 percent. Similarly, an emergency room survey asked families whether they had enough food to feed their families. In 2007, the rate of families that said no was at 18 percent and in 2010 it was at 28 percent.
In March of this year I joined with heads of many national religious philanthropic organizations in a 3 day fast to protest proposed GOP budget cuts to domestic and international food programs including WIC. I wrote about it here , here and here. As a healthy adult who had made the decision to fast willingly it was still difficult for me. For a child to have to go hungry and experience the fatigue, sadness and even pain associated with hunger is heartbreaking.
The USDA’s food insecurity report found that in 2009 14.7 percent of American households were considered food insecure at least some of the time. This translates into larger problems down the line. According to Science Daily, malnourishment early in life leads to lower IQs and antisocial aggressive behavior.
"Poor nutrition, characterized by zinc, iron, vitamin B and protein deficiencies, leads to low IQ, which leads to later antisocial behavior," said Adrian Raine, a co-author of the study and holder of the Robert Grandford Wright Professorship in Psychology in USC's College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. "These are all nutrients linked to brain development."
In the short term food banks and pantries are needing our help and donations. You can click here to find a food bank in your area.
We can also prepare to do battle for the 2012 Farm Bill (pdf), which I wrote about here the bill is in committee now and its not too early to influence. The Farm Bill, which is negotiated every 5 years determines most of the US food policies including the food stamp program SNAP and community assisted food programs. If anything, I expect the battle for the 2012 Farm Bill will be even more brutal than what we experienced with the debt ceiling etc.
Let's start influencing that bill by signing this petition by Food & Water Watch requesting an end to corporate control of our food system and a Fair Farm Bill
Sign petition here