Child Hunger
By Ryan Laatz
LA 2
Have you ever had to look into the eyes of a child and tell him that tonight there will be no dinner? One out of five children in America get told that daily. That's 16.2 million kids who don't get enough to eat. Youth hunger is a serious problem in America. It is a horrific problem that we, if we put our minds to it, can stop.
What is child hunger? Child hunger is when kids don't have enough to eat. It's not the type of hunger where you crave a bowl of ice cream at night. This is the type of hunger where your stomach hurts because you didn't eat all day long. The big problem about this is that without getting the proper food and nutrition, children are not able to fulfill their potential.
Where does child hunger occur? Child hunger happens everywhere. While it is most common in large cities, it still exists in rural areas and suburbs. Twenty five percent of households in large cities with children are food insecure. Defined by foodinsecurityandhunger.org, food insecurity is "the availability of food and ones access to it." In America there are 3.9 million households with children that are food insecure. In 36 states, twenty percent or more of kids live with food insecurity. The top four states with child hunger are Oregon, Arizona, New Mexico, and Florida.
Why does child hunger happen? Child hunger happens because children simply don't have the resources to get food. About twenty percent of kids in America live in poverty. Also about twenty percent of kids in America are hungry. Do you see the similarities between those numbers? The ones who live in poverty can't afford to always have food. If a kid is only ten, then he can't get a job, or drive a car. How are they able to go to the store and buy food?
How does child hunger happen? Child hunger happens when kids don't eat. Kids who are in food insecure households don't have a constant food supply so, they will regularly skip meals. According to NoKidHungre.org, “children will skip meals for numerous reasons. If they are living in a food insecure household and have siblings, they might give some of their meals to their siblings. The parents are also a major reason for child hunger. Some parents are just not able to afford food for their famlies.” According to childhungerendshere.com “With the economy how it is, it makes it even harder for parents to feed their children. The unemployment rate is booming, wages are low for the little unskilled jobs there are, the lack of benefits, child expense is high, and housing and medical bills are skyrocketing make families with kids a whole lot more vulnerable to child hunger.”
When does child hunger happen? Child hunger happens mostly on weekends and over the summer. About 20.4 million kids are eligible for free or reduced lunches at school. That leaves all the weekend and over the summer when no lunch is available. Out of 20.4 million kids who are eligible for free or reduced school lunches only 9.8 million kids get it! That leaves 10.6 million kids who will skip lunch most of the time. Out of the 9.8 million kids who get free or reduced school lunches, only 1 out of 7 receive summer meals. That's only 1,400,000 kids who get summer meals. That's 1,400,000 kids who get summer meals out of 20,400,000 who are eligible for them. All these numbers are at an all time high.
Who does child hunger impact? Nokidhunry.org stated “The people who child hunger impacts is like an ongoing chain. First it impacts the children, when they are hungry they get in a bad mood. If they are in a bad mood and spend time with friends and family members then they could also get them in a bad mood. The friends and family members who get in a bad mood spend time with their own friends and family members and they would get in a bad mood too. This chain would go on and on.” An example to make this more clear is, if Tabitha is hungry she will get in a bad mood. Tabitha will spend time with her friends and family and get them in a bad mood. Tabitha's friends and family members who are now in a bad mood will spend time with their own friends and family members and they will get in bad moods too. Childhungerendshere.com said “A kid going through hunger is less likely to graduate from high school and go on to college because they can't focus in school when all they are thinking about is if they will eat again that day, which will have a negative impact on their economic future. If this happens, then twenty years from now, they are much less likely to be able to earn enough to feed their own family.” All and all, child hunger impacts everyone, even the economy.
Why is child hunger a problem? Child hunger is a problem because it is not letting kids fulfill their full potential. Kids are still developing, and if
they don't eat enough, their brain can't develop completely. Their bodies also won't be able to develop completely. It is also a problem because kids
aren't able to concentrate in school and are not getting a proper education. They don't have the energy to do sports so they aren't getting enough physical
education. Kids are America's future and we don't want our future unable to function properly.
Proposed solutions? One solution that we could do to solve this problem is to volunteer at a local organization called Table. Table is a group that collects canned foods. They deliver the food directly to kids over weekends and the summer. They deliver the food directly to the kids so they know that the kids are getting the food, and the parents aren't getting it. Another way to help is that you could also start a food drive. You could organize a camp of some sort, and instead of charging money to attend you would ask for canned food donations. With all the canned foods you get, you could donate all of them to a children's food shelter.
I hope you realize how major of a problem child hunger is and how it needs to be stopped. Children in America aren't fulfilling their full potential and
showing the world what they can do. Child Hunger is happening everywhere, impacting everyone, and it's happening because children simply don't have the
resources they need. How does it feel when you are hungry? Try being hungry everyday as a 7 year old.
By Ryan Laatz
LA 2
Have you ever had to look into the eyes of a child and tell him that tonight there will be no dinner? One out of five children in America get told that daily. That's 16.2 million kids who don't get enough to eat. Youth hunger is a serious problem in America. It is a horrific problem that we, if we put our minds to it, can stop.
What is child hunger? Child hunger is when kids don't have enough to eat. It's not the type of hunger where you crave a bowl of ice cream at night. This is the type of hunger where your stomach hurts because you didn't eat all day long. The big problem about this is that without getting the proper food and nutrition, children are not able to fulfill their potential.
Where does child hunger occur? Child hunger happens everywhere. While it is most common in large cities, it still exists in rural areas and suburbs. Twenty five percent of households in large cities with children are food insecure. Defined by foodinsecurityandhunger.org, food insecurity is "the availability of food and ones access to it." In America there are 3.9 million households with children that are food insecure. In 36 states, twenty percent or more of kids live with food insecurity. The top four states with child hunger are Oregon, Arizona, New Mexico, and Florida.
Why does child hunger happen? Child hunger happens because children simply don't have the resources to get food. About twenty percent of kids in America live in poverty. Also about twenty percent of kids in America are hungry. Do you see the similarities between those numbers? The ones who live in poverty can't afford to always have food. If a kid is only ten, then he can't get a job, or drive a car. How are they able to go to the store and buy food?
How does child hunger happen? Child hunger happens when kids don't eat. Kids who are in food insecure households don't have a constant food supply so, they will regularly skip meals. According to NoKidHungre.org, “children will skip meals for numerous reasons. If they are living in a food insecure household and have siblings, they might give some of their meals to their siblings. The parents are also a major reason for child hunger. Some parents are just not able to afford food for their famlies.” According to childhungerendshere.com “With the economy how it is, it makes it even harder for parents to feed their children. The unemployment rate is booming, wages are low for the little unskilled jobs there are, the lack of benefits, child expense is high, and housing and medical bills are skyrocketing make families with kids a whole lot more vulnerable to child hunger.”
When does child hunger happen? Child hunger happens mostly on weekends and over the summer. About 20.4 million kids are eligible for free or reduced lunches at school. That leaves all the weekend and over the summer when no lunch is available. Out of 20.4 million kids who are eligible for free or reduced school lunches only 9.8 million kids get it! That leaves 10.6 million kids who will skip lunch most of the time. Out of the 9.8 million kids who get free or reduced school lunches, only 1 out of 7 receive summer meals. That's only 1,400,000 kids who get summer meals. That's 1,400,000 kids who get summer meals out of 20,400,000 who are eligible for them. All these numbers are at an all time high.
Who does child hunger impact? Nokidhunry.org stated “The people who child hunger impacts is like an ongoing chain. First it impacts the children, when they are hungry they get in a bad mood. If they are in a bad mood and spend time with friends and family members then they could also get them in a bad mood. The friends and family members who get in a bad mood spend time with their own friends and family members and they would get in a bad mood too. This chain would go on and on.” An example to make this more clear is, if Tabitha is hungry she will get in a bad mood. Tabitha will spend time with her friends and family and get them in a bad mood. Tabitha's friends and family members who are now in a bad mood will spend time with their own friends and family members and they will get in bad moods too. Childhungerendshere.com said “A kid going through hunger is less likely to graduate from high school and go on to college because they can't focus in school when all they are thinking about is if they will eat again that day, which will have a negative impact on their economic future. If this happens, then twenty years from now, they are much less likely to be able to earn enough to feed their own family.” All and all, child hunger impacts everyone, even the economy.
Why is child hunger a problem? Child hunger is a problem because it is not letting kids fulfill their full potential. Kids are still developing, and if
they don't eat enough, their brain can't develop completely. Their bodies also won't be able to develop completely. It is also a problem because kids
aren't able to concentrate in school and are not getting a proper education. They don't have the energy to do sports so they aren't getting enough physical
education. Kids are America's future and we don't want our future unable to function properly.
Proposed solutions? One solution that we could do to solve this problem is to volunteer at a local organization called Table. Table is a group that collects canned foods. They deliver the food directly to kids over weekends and the summer. They deliver the food directly to the kids so they know that the kids are getting the food, and the parents aren't getting it. Another way to help is that you could also start a food drive. You could organize a camp of some sort, and instead of charging money to attend you would ask for canned food donations. With all the canned foods you get, you could donate all of them to a children's food shelter.
I hope you realize how major of a problem child hunger is and how it needs to be stopped. Children in America aren't fulfilling their full potential and
showing the world what they can do. Child Hunger is happening everywhere, impacting everyone, and it's happening because children simply don't have the
resources they need. How does it feel when you are hungry? Try being hungry everyday as a 7 year old.