US hunger crisis persists, especially for kids, older adults
3 years, 9 months ago

US hunger crisis persists, especially for kids, older adults

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — America is starting to claw its way out of the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, but food insecurity persists, especially for children and older adults. “Now, the level of insecurity for some has grown more extreme, when you see real hunger — mom skipping meals to feed the family.” America’s yearlong food insecurity crisis has been felt especially sharply by children who lost easy access to free school meals, and older adults who struggled to get groceries or meals at senior centers because they worried about contracting the virus. “It had been a lot easier when my two boys were in school and getting their hot breakfasts and lunches everyday.” ___ HUNGRY CHILDREN When COVID fears shuttered schools around the U.S. last spring, school districts nationwide suddenly had to get food to students who rely on free lunches even in the best times. ___ OLDER ADULTS Since the pandemic began, many older adults in the U.S. have turned to food banks, Meals on Wheels home deliveries and other charities to get enough to eat. “We’ve had quite a few people tell us that they would not have meals, they literally would not have food if not for the program,” said Darnell Head, of Revolution Foods, which operates the program in New Orleans.

Nutrition Kids Pandemic School Food Insecurity New York Food Banks Phoenix New Orleans Older Adults Program Feeding America Free Meals Persists Especially Older Adults Food  persists  especially  crisis  older  adults  food  kids  pandemic  free  meals  program  nutrition  hunger  districts  school

History of this topic

Children going hungry, missing school amid Australia's 'perfect storm' cost-of-living crisis
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Children going hungry, missing school amid Australia's 'perfect storm' cost-of-living crisis

ABC  

Researchers and frontline charities are seeing a growing number of Australian children going hungry and missing school, as the twin pressures of a cost-of-living crisis and housing shortages push families to the brink. More and more children suffering Australian National University child poverty researcher Sharon Bessell has been interviewing children across Australia to find out how rising costs of living …

Canada: Are parents skipping meals to feed their kids amid the cost-of-living crisis?
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Canada: Are parents skipping meals to feed their kids amid the cost-of-living crisis?

Firstpost  

Canada’s cost-of-living crisis is forcing one in four parents to cut back on their own meals to ensure their children are fed, according to a Salvation Army report. With 58 per cent of families facing food insecurity, food bank visits have surged to over two million in March 2024 alone A bag of potatoes rests on metal crates of donated …

"Hunger in America is getting worse, not better" according to an explosive new USDA report
4 months, 1 week ago

"Hunger in America is getting worse, not better" according to an explosive new USDA report

Salon  

As Americans all across the country report feeling increasingly pressed by inflated food prices, an explosive new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture reveals that about 18 million families — or 13.5% of U.S. households — struggled to access enough food, marking the highest levels of food insecurity in nearly a decade. According to report authors Matthew P. Rabbitt, …

Struggling Aussies forced to choose between buying medication or groceries as cost of living crisis continues to bite
5 months ago

Struggling Aussies forced to choose between buying medication or groceries as cost of living crisis continues to bite

Daily Mail  

Families battling the cost-of-living crisis are going hungry waiting for an inquiry into Victoria's food security to report its findings, advocates say. About a third of almost 180 submissions to a Victorian inquiry into food security came from struggling families, Sustain: The Australian Food Network executive director Nick Rose said. About one in three Australians faces moderate to severe food …

14 GOP-led states have turned down federal money to feed low-income kids in the summer. Here’s why
11 months ago

14 GOP-led states have turned down federal money to feed low-income kids in the summer. Here’s why

Associated Press  

Lower-income families with school-age kids can get help from the federal government paying for groceries this summer, unless they live in one of the 14 states that have said no to joining the program this year. The reasons for the rejections, all from states with Republican governors, include philosophical objections to welfare programs, technical challenges due to aging computer systems …

Minnesota program to provide free school meals for all kids is costing the state more than expected
1 year ago

Minnesota program to provide free school meals for all kids is costing the state more than expected

Associated Press  

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota’s program to provide free school breakfasts and lunches to all students regardless of income is costing the state more than expected because of a jump in demand. Tim Walz signed the legislation last spring, advocates said the free meals would ease stresses on parents and help reduce childhood poverty while lifting the stigma on kids …

"Unnecessary and unacceptable": Why the American hunger crisis could get worse in 2024
1 year, 1 month ago

"Unnecessary and unacceptable": Why the American hunger crisis could get worse in 2024

Salon  

Just a few days before Thanksgiving, new data from the Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey showed that nearly 28 million people reported experiencing food scarcity in October — both the highest number of 2023 and the highest number recorded by the survey since December 2020. Food insecurity experts deemed that prospect a “looming hunger cliff” — and again and again …

Seventeen million households in the US face food insecurity as hunger surges
1 year, 2 months ago

Seventeen million households in the US face food insecurity as hunger surges

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy One million more families …

Food insecurity shot up last year with inflation and the end of pandemic-era aid, a new report says
1 year, 2 months ago

Food insecurity shot up last year with inflation and the end of pandemic-era aid, a new report says

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — An estimated 17 million households reported problems finding enough food in 2022 — a sharp jump from 2021 when boosted government aid helped ease the pandemic-induced economic shutdown. Wednesday’s report by the USDA’s Economic Research Service also tracks families with “very low food security” — a condition it defines as families having to ration food consumption and where …

More students gain eligibility for free school meals under expanded US program
1 year, 3 months ago

More students gain eligibility for free school meals under expanded US program

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Millions of additional students in schools serving low-income communities will be eligible to receive breakfast and lunch at no cost under a rule change announced Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. At schools where 25% of families participate in income-based public benefits, such as the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, the federal government now will cover the cost …

SNAP is undergoing major changes starting in September. Here's what you need to know
1 year, 4 months ago

SNAP is undergoing major changes starting in September. Here's what you need to know

Salon  

If you're a recipient of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, it's important to know that there is a monumental change going into effect, effective Sept. 1. According to Candy Woodall with USA Today, "childless workers who are 18 to 50 years old will have to show they are working at least 80 hours a month or enrolled in an education …

Explained | What has to be done to get to Zero Hunger?
1 year, 5 months ago

Explained | What has to be done to get to Zero Hunger?

The Hindu  

The story so far: The Global Report on the Food Crises 2023 released recently estimated that between 691 million and 783 million people in the world suffered from hunger in 2022. The GRFC is produced by the Food Security Information Network in support of the Global Network against Food Crises, and involves 16 partners to achieve a joint consensus-based assessment …

College students struggling with hunger face potential loss of food stamp benefits
1 year, 6 months ago

College students struggling with hunger face potential loss of food stamp benefits

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Raised on welfare by his grandmother, Joseph Sais relied so much on food stamps as a college student that he thought about quitting school when his eligibility was revoked. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sais said, he missed an “important letter” and temporarily lost his eligibility in SNAP, the foundational anti-poverty program commonly known as food …

“Poverty is a policy choice”: Minnesota kids cheer new law guaranteeing free school lunch for all
1 year, 9 months ago

“Poverty is a policy choice”: Minnesota kids cheer new law guaranteeing free school lunch for all

Salon  

This article originally appeared at Common Dreams. But 1 in 4 food-insecure kids live in households that don't qualify for the federal free and reduced meal program, leading to "mounting school lunch debts in the tens of thousands of dollars," Minnesota Public Radioreported. "As a former teacher, I know that providing free breakfast and lunch for our students is one …

‘It’s hard to focus': Schools say American kids are hungry
1 year, 10 months ago

‘It’s hard to focus': Schools say American kids are hungry

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — America’s schools say kids are hungry — just as pandemic-era benefit programs have lapsed. School cafeterias typically don’t turn away a hungry kid, but debts for unpaid school meals have been rising — showing the level of need, and raising questions about how schools will keep feeding everyone, without federal money to do it. The neediest kids are …

‘It’s hard to focus’: Schools say American kids are hungry
1 year, 10 months ago

‘It’s hard to focus’: Schools say American kids are hungry

LA Times  

Students select their meal during lunch break in the cafeteria at V. H. Lassen Academy of Science and Nutrition in Phoenix on Jan. 31. School cafeterias typically don’t turn away a hungry kid, but debts for unpaid school meals have been rising — showing the level of need, and raising questions about how schools will keep feeding everyone, without federal …

A hunger crisis sparked by Covid rages on three years into the pandemic. Here’s how you can give or get help
1 year, 10 months ago

A hunger crisis sparked by Covid rages on three years into the pandemic. Here’s how you can give or get help

CNN  

CNN — With the third anniversary of the Covid-19 outbreak, the secondary pandemic of hunger still looms for many Americans. That doesn’t mean they’re able to achieve self sufficiency.” According to Feeding America, in 2020, as the pandemic took root, 60 million people – almost 1 in 6 Americans– turned to the charitable food system for help. Demand never let …

Children unable to afford lunch in more than half of state schools, survey says
2 years, 1 month ago

Children unable to afford lunch in more than half of state schools, survey says

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. It’s a scandal that in …

It shouldn’t be left to chefs like me to feed hungry children
2 years, 3 months ago

It shouldn’t be left to chefs like me to feed hungry children

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy During the …

Hunger advocates want free school meals for all kids. It's tough sell in Congress
2 years, 4 months ago

Hunger advocates want free school meals for all kids. It's tough sell in Congress

NPR  

Hunger advocates want free school meals for all kids. It's tough sell in Congress Enlarge this image toggle caption Morgan Lee/AP Morgan Lee/AP When the government made school meals temporarily free to virtually all public school students in 2020, the intent was to buffer children and families from the spike in hunger and economic hardship caused by the pandemic. States …

Proposal for student cards to cover free meals fails in California Legislature
2 years, 5 months ago

Proposal for student cards to cover free meals fails in California Legislature

LA Times  

A bill that would have granted eligible California school children an EBT card to cover meals in the summer quietly failed in the state Legislature last week. A bill that would have granted electronic benefit transfer cards to low-income schoolchildren to cover meals when class is not in session quietly failed last week in the state Legislature. Food banks across …

Families ‘face grim choices’ as summer holidays mean weeks without free school meals
2 years, 5 months ago

Families ‘face grim choices’ as summer holidays mean weeks without free school meals

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, …

Almost half of young people have gone to bed hungry in last year – Centrepoint
2 years, 5 months ago

Almost half of young people have gone to bed hungry in last year – Centrepoint

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Almost half of 16-25-year-olds have gone to bed hungry in …

Congress approves free student meal extension through summer
2 years, 6 months ago

Congress approves free student meal extension through summer

Associated Press  

Congress passed a bill Friday that aims to keep up the expanded, pandemic-era distribution of free meals for all students this summer. “Our action today staves off a dangerous hunger cliff: ensuring universal free meals for all children throughout this summer, while helping schools keep up supply chain snags and rising costs for the upcoming school year,” House Speaker Nancy …

Two million adults in UK can’t afford to eat every day due to ‘catastrophic’ cost of living crisis
2 years, 8 months ago

Two million adults in UK can’t afford to eat every day due to ‘catastrophic’ cost of living crisis

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. One in seven adults lives in homes where people have eaten smaller portions, skipped …

One in seven households have adults ‘skipping meals or going hungry’
2 years, 8 months ago

One in seven households have adults ‘skipping meals or going hungry’

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy One in seven adults lives in homes where people have …

As a result of COVID-19, more people are experiencing food insecurity — and community services are stepping in to help
2 years, 8 months ago

As a result of COVID-19, more people are experiencing food insecurity — and community services are stepping in to help

ABC  

Annette Formosa never thought she would need to rely on her local community in Sydney's western suburbs to ensure there was enough food on the table. Key points: One in six Australian adults experienced food insecurity in 2021, according to Foodbank Of those, almost 40 per cent had not experienced food insecurity prior to the COVID-19 pandemic Community services in …

Millions of children will miss healthy school meals when pandemic relief expires
2 years, 9 months ago

Millions of children will miss healthy school meals when pandemic relief expires

NPR  

Millions of children will miss healthy school meals when pandemic relief expires Enlarge this image toggle caption Karen Ducey/Getty Images Karen Ducey/Getty Images When schools pivoted to virtual learning early in the pandemic, the National School Lunch Program was thrown into chaos. And as part of pandemic relief legislation, the federal Food and Nutrition services agency waived the requirement that …

America is facing a pandemic of hunger
3 years, 4 months ago

America is facing a pandemic of hunger

Raw Story  

Demand at food banks and food pantries has dipped, but only slightly, as the job market rebounds and government stimulus programs put money in Americans' pockets, but the frayed safety net that is the emergency food system remains a lifeline for many still struggling families. Last week the Biden administration revised the thrifty food plan definition of basic food needs, …

Hungry children didn’t drive this country into the ground – they deserve so much better than the meagre food parcels offered by our government
4 years ago

Hungry children didn’t drive this country into the ground – they deserve so much better than the meagre food parcels offered by our government

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Midday assistants on furlough or poverty …

Almost two million children short on food over course of pandemic, study suggests
4 years, 1 month ago

Almost two million children short on food over course of pandemic, study suggests

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Almost two million children have been short on food in …

Help the Hungry: Our appeal to provide almost 25,000 meals in a week to tackle half-term hunger
4 years, 2 months ago

Help the Hungry: Our appeal to provide almost 25,000 meals in a week to tackle half-term hunger

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The Independent’s Help the Hungry appeal will be aiding the …

'Children Are Going Hungry': Why Schools Are Struggling To Feed Students
4 years, 4 months ago

'Children Are Going Hungry': Why Schools Are Struggling To Feed Students

NPR  

'Children Are Going Hungry': Why Schools Are Struggling To Feed Students Enlarge this image LA Johnson/NPR LA Johnson/NPR Six months into schools' pandemic-driven experiment in distance learning, much has been said about whether children are learning. Every day," said Alyssia Wright, executive director of Fulton County Schools' nutrition program in Fulton County, Ga. "We come up with ways every week …

The US food system is killing Americans (Opinion)
4 years, 5 months ago

The US food system is killing Americans (Opinion)

CNN  

Editor’s Note: Akash Goel is an assistant professor of medicine at Weill Cornell/NewYork Presbyterian Hospital and term member of the Council on Foreign Relation. Just as baseline chronic disease portends a worse outcome for individuals with Covid-19, our food system is our country’s pre-existing condition that leaves us all at greater risk. While there are significant financial and distribution challenges …

Food deserts were a problem. The coronavirus has made them worse
4 years, 7 months ago

Food deserts were a problem. The coronavirus has made them worse

CNN  

New York CNN Business — The coronavirus has made it harder for everyone to buy food and other essential items under stay-at-home orders, social distancing guidelines and limited delivery slots for online groceries. In Georgia, the number of residents now living in “food insecure” areas has jumped 69% since the beginning of the pandemic, according to data firm Urban Footprint. …

Millions of children still without food aid months into Covid-19 crisis
4 years, 7 months ago

Millions of children still without food aid months into Covid-19 crisis

CNN  

CNN — Millions of low-income school children are still waiting receive federal help to buy food, even as the number of families having trouble affording groceries skyrockets. But even in states already participating in the Pandemic EBT program, millions of children haven’t gotten assistance – more than two months after schools closed. “It is concerning that it’s taking so long …

Help the Hungry: Emma Thompson calls on government to protect children short of food
4 years, 8 months ago

Help the Hungry: Emma Thompson calls on government to protect children short of food

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Dame Emma Thompson has called on the government to do …

We may not have a cure for the coronavirus, but we do for hunger
4 years, 8 months ago

We may not have a cure for the coronavirus, but we do for hunger

CNN  

Editor’s Note: Billy Shore is the founder and executive chair of Share Our Strength, the parent organization for the No Kid Hungry campaign. Billy Shore Stephen Bobb Among many things, this crisis has exposed the parallel menace that many Americans live with every day: food insecurity and the more than 11 million children facing hunger in our country because of …

Global hunger could double due to coronavirus pandemic: UN
4 years, 8 months ago

Global hunger could double due to coronavirus pandemic: UN

Al Jazeera  

COVID-19 is likely to leave 130 million people acutely hungry this year, adding to 135 million already in the category. The number of people facing acute food insecurity could nearly double this year to 265 million due to the economic fallout of COVID-19, according to the United Nations World Food Programme. New report Tuesday’s fourth annual Global Report on Food …

With coronavirus closing schools, here’s how you can help food insecure children
4 years, 10 months ago

With coronavirus closing schools, here’s how you can help food insecure children

CNN  

CNN — On any given day, the National School Lunch Program provides low-cost or free lunches to 29.7 million children. The organization set up a “COVID-19 Response Fund” to help food banks aid communities impacted by the pandemic. United Way is using their “COVID-19 Community Response and Recovery Fund” to stock food banks with essential staples to help feed children …

With coronavirus closing schools, here’s how you can help food insecure children
4 years, 10 months ago

With coronavirus closing schools, here’s how you can help food insecure children

CNN  

CNN — On any given day, the National School Lunch Program provides low-cost or free lunches to 29.7 million children. The organization set up a “COVID-19 Response Fund” to help food banks aid communities impacted by the pandemic. United Way is using their “COVID-19 Community Response and Recovery Fund” to stock food banks with essential staples to help feed children …

Starving seniors: How America fails to feed its aging
5 years, 4 months ago

Starving seniors: How America fails to feed its aging

Salon  

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Army veteran Eugene Milligan is 75 years old and blind. “It’s really sad because a meal is not an expensive thing,” said Sally Jones Heinz, president and CEO of the Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association, which provides home-delivered meals in Memphis. Still, Thomas said, “I can’t buy very much.” A day later, the Mid-South Food Bank brought a “mobile …

Fewer U.S. Households Are Going Hungry. But Cuts In Food Aid Loom
5 years, 4 months ago

Fewer U.S. Households Are Going Hungry. But Cuts In Food Aid Loom

NPR  

Households Are Going Hungry. But Cuts In Food Aid Loom Enlarge this image toggle caption Seth McConnell/Denver Post via Getty Images Seth McConnell/Denver Post via Getty Images Millions of families in the U.S. struggled to get enough food to eat last year, but conditions appear to be getting better as the economy improves. In a new report released Wednesday, the …

How going hungry affects children for their whole lives
5 years, 7 months ago

How going hungry affects children for their whole lives

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “That’s exactly what we need to be concerned about …

Malnourished children are taking food from school bins to stifle hunger, headteacher says
6 years ago

Malnourished children are taking food from school bins to stifle hunger, headteacher says

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Malnourished children are arriving at school so hungry they are …

4 million UK children too poor for healthy diet
6 years, 4 months ago

4 million UK children too poor for healthy diet

CNN  

London CNN — Nearly 4 million children in the UK live in households that struggle to afford fruit, vegetables and other foods conducive to a healthy lifestyle, according to a report by the Food Foundation. “It’s crucial that a coordinated cross-government effort develops policy that accounts for the cost of its recommended diet, and creates a food system that does …

Poor children don't want to change for PE as they are ashamed about their ‘skinny’ bodies
6 years, 5 months ago

Poor children don't want to change for PE as they are ashamed about their ‘skinny’ bodies

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. PE teachers warned that children living …

For Many College Students, Hunger 'Makes It Hard To Focus'
6 years, 5 months ago

For Many College Students, Hunger 'Makes It Hard To Focus'

NPR  

For Many College Students, Hunger 'Makes It Hard To Focus' Enlarge this image toggle caption franckreporter/Getty Images franckreporter/Getty Images As students enter college this fall, many will hunger for more than knowledge. Some schools nationally also have instituted the Swipe Out Hunger program, which allows students to donate their unused meal plan vouchers, or "swipes," to other students to use …

Discover Related