Why are there Hungry childern in America?

Have you ever ask yourself why are there starving childern in America? When here it is we are one of the most powerful country's in the world, with so many resources and we have starving childern. But In many ways, America is the land of plenty. But for 1 in 6 Americans, hunger is a reality. Many people believe that the problems associated with hunger are confined to small pockets of society, certain areas of the country, or certain neighborhoods, but the reality is much different. Right now, millions of Americans are struggling with hunger. These are often hard-working adults, children and seniors who simply cannot make ends meet and are forced to go without food for several meals, or even days. It’s time to educate ourselves about the causes of hunger in America.

The problem of childhood hunger is not simply a moral issue. Child hunger hampers a young person's ability to learn and becomes more likely to suffer from poverty as an adult. Scientific evidence suggests that hungry children are less likely to become productive citizens. And how do we expect are childern to be doctors, judges etc. in this country when they are starving and cant focus in the class room because of they didnt eat breakfast which is the most important meal of the childs day, lunch, dinner. But some of the facts about child hunger in America:

·         Nearly 14 million children are estimated to be served by Feeding America, over 3 million of which are ages 5 and under.

·         According to the USDA, over 16 million children lived in food insecure (low food security and very low food security) households in 2010.

·         20% or more of the child population in 40 states and D.C. lived in food insecure households in 2009. The District of Columbia (32.3%) and Oregon (29.2%) had the highest rates of children in households without consistent access to food.

·         In 2009, the top five states with the highest rate of food insecure children under 18 are the District of Columbia, Oregon, Arizona, Arkansas, & Texas. iii

·         In 2009, the top five states with the lowest rate of food insecure children under 18 are North Dakota, New Hampshire, Virginia, Maryland, & Massachusetts. iii

·         Proper nutrition is vital to the growth and development of children. 62 percent of client households with children under the age of 18 reported participating in the National School Lunch Program, but only 14 percent reported having a child participate in a summer feeding program that provides free food when school is out.i

·         54 percent of client households with children under the age of 3 participated in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).i

·         32 percent of pantries, 42 percent of kitchens, and 18 percent of shelters in the Feeding America network reported "many more children in the summer" being served by their programs.i

·         In 2010, 16.4 million or approximately 22 percent of children in the U.S. lived in poverty.

·         Research indicates that hungry children have do more poorly in school and have lower academic achievement because they are not well prepared for school and cannot concentrate.

·         In fiscal year 2009, 48 percent of all SNAP participants were children

·         During the 2010 federal fiscal year, 20.6 million low-income children received free or reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch Program. Unfortunately, just 2.3 million of these same income-eligible children participated in the Summer Food Service Program that same year.