Call on Congress to Feed Needy Kids All Year Long

A new report by the organization Share Our Strength describes a "deep and pervasive problem of childhood hunger in U.S. schools." The study states that 64 percent of teachers report that "most or many of the students" at their schools are dependent on school meals as their main source of food. Now that school is out, only a third of the children that usually rely on these meals everyday will have access to belly-filling programs, according to a press release.

The organization is calling on Congress to help needy kids get access to food during the summer months by passing reforms written into the Child Nutrition Reauthorization legislation. While there is no reauthorization needed on the vital School Breakfast Program and National School Lunch Program, other programs need to be OK'ed every five years, including the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP).

Congress also needs to step up and raise the new funding for child nutrition programs it has promised in the Reauthorization bill from $450 million per year to the $1 billion per year that President Obama requested.

But even with the funding not up to par, the bill is a good step towards getting more of our children fed: It proposes to remove the cap on the number of summer food sites and the number of children that private non-profit organizations can serve. It would also allow California to continue its pilot, year-round food program until 2015, and would require that schools coordinate outreach efforts with Summer Food Programs, according to Feeding America.

It's astonishing how many children are getting these food services, even while the children able to participate in summer programs is much too low. In 2009, free and reduced-price lunches kept 19.5 million low-income children from going hungry. Of these, 9.1 million got free or reduced breakfast, and 2.2 million children benefited from summer feeding programs.

While it's important to work to get these children fed better under the systems that exist, the fact that so many young people need help staving off hunger represents a profound problem in our country. Think about this one astonishing number for a moment: 19.5 million kids. In a country this rich, that number points to inequality so stark it should put us all to shame.

Tell Congress it's time to make sure all children have access to meals, regardless of whether school is in session. Sign our petition asking Congress to reauthorize the Child Nutrition Act.

Photo: xavi talleda via Flickr