Sorry for the delay, technical difficulties. ..moving right a long:
Today is World Food Day. Traditionally, this blog focuses on international issues and crises. Today, because here in the US it’s election season, I’m going to focus on the need at home. 1 in 6 Americans qualifies as “poor”. 1 in 5 of those Americans is a child that struggles with hunger. 16.1 million children in America don’t get enough to eat. 62% of American teachers see kids regularly come to school hungry because they don’t get enough to eat at home. With the ever widening income gap – the rich getting richer, and the poor getting poorer – this problem isn’t going away. It’s not like there is a lack of resources and food in America, the average American family throws away $1,600 worth of food in a year. To tackle the problem of hunger in America Share Our Strength, a non-profit determined to end childhood hunger in America, has two big campaigns: No Kid Hungry and Cooking Matters
No Kid Hungry works with schools, government officials, and families to break down the barriers that come between children and regular nutritious meals. They do this by connecting low-income families to food programs in their area, as well as connecting children with school breakfasts and summer meals.
Through its Cooking Matters program Share Our Strength seeks to educate families on how they can make healthy, tasty meals at home for less than a meal from McDonald’s Dollar Menu. With the help of volunteer culinary and nutrition experts, Cooking Matters course participants learn how to select nutritious and low-cost ingredients and prepare them in ways that provide the best nourishment possible to their families. Cooking Matters has a educational program called “Shopping Matters” that travels the country providing free guided grocery store tours that teach key food shopping skills like buying fruits and vegetables on a budget, comparing unit prices, reading food labels, and identifying whole grain foods.Tours are facilitated by a wide range of local volunteers who work as dietitians, community nutrition educators, culinary professionals, Extension agents, or staff of community agencies serving families in need.
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Finally, Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign works to shine a national spotlight on the crisis of childhood hunger in America, creating a powerful movement of individuals committed to bold action. The issue of hunger is an “out of sight, out of mind”-type issue for many Americans. While it’s believable, but rarely acknowledged, that malnutrition is crippling generation after generation of children around the world, when you hear it’s in your own backyard people seem stunned and amazed. So, advocacy & education play no small part in No Kid Hungry’s campaign. To learn more about the problem here in the US please visit their website.
Look forward to seeing specific page highlights and ways to get involved here in the near future. Again, sorry for the delay.
For Those Who Can't Fight 