90% of Black Children on Food Stamps

by Greg Plotkin · 2009-11-05 06:00:00 UTC
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In one of the most dramatic examples I've seen of the true reach of hunger in the United States, a new report released this week by Washington University in St. Louis researchers found that 90 percent of black children will be clients of the national Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP/Food Stamps) at least once by the time they turn 20.

Although the percentage is less for white children (the only other ethnic group studied), the startling statistic here is that, at some point before their 20th birthday, 50 percent of all children in the United States will have received SNAP benefits.

More than being about access to food, the report's lead researcher says his findings represent a more important trend in the upbringing of the country's children.  "Rather than being a time of security and safety, the childhood years for many American children are a time of economic turmoil, risk, and hardship," says Mark Rank, Ph.D.

Among the other interesting/disturbing statistics presented in the report:

-Nearly one-quarter of all American children will be in households that use food stamps for five or more years during childhood.

-91 percent of children with single parents will be in a household receiving food stamps, compared to 37 percent of children in married households.

-Looking at race, marital status and education simultaneously, children who are black and whose head of household is not married with less than 12 years of education have a cumulative percentage of residing in a food stamp household of 97 percent by age 10.

What this report really highlights are the drastic race, gender and socio-economic disparities in this country.  And unfortunately, these disparities seem to be affecting our youth at a staggering level.

If children really are the future (as I believe they are), we as a society need to do a much better job of letting kids develop into the leaders of tomorrow, instead of being held back by the problems of today.

(Photo credit: Marco Gomes on Flickr)

Greg Plotkin currently works for Flying Pigs Farm in Shushan, NY. He is dedicated to eliminating inequalities in who has access to healthy food and alleviating hunger.
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