17% Of US Children Under 5 May Face Hunger

[OhioChick]

Source: AP

Louisiana Has Highest Rate Of Child Hunger
EDT May 7, 2009

WASHINGTON -- An estimated 3.5 million children under the age of 5 are at risk of hunger in the United States, according to a look at government numbers by an anti-hunger group.

That's more than 17 percent of children who could suffer cognitive and developmental damage if they are not properly fed.

The not-for-profit advocacy group Feeding America based its findings on 2005-2007 data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Agriculture Department. The study, released Thursday, is the first to look at these numbers for children under the age of 5, according to the group.

The study also shows that in 11 states, more than 20 percent of children under 5 are at risk of going hungry. Louisiana has the highest rate, with just under a quarter of children at risk, followed by North Carolina, Ohio, Kentucky, Texas, New Mexico, Kansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, Idaho and Arkansas.

According to the Agriculture Department, 11 percent of households lacked enough food for an active, healthy life, before the economy worsened late last year.


Read more: http://www.newsnet5.com/health/19392069/detail.html

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How Shameful. Kids hungry in the U.S., while CEO's are walking away with multi-million dollar bonuses.

[angstlessk]

1. those idiots...hunger no longer exists..it is 'low food security'..

get with the times, folks...no wonder newspapers are loosing readers..need I include the following: :sarcasm:?

[KansDem]

5. No, it's now called "Enhanced Dieting Technique"

Just in time to combat child obesity!

[angstlessk]

7. dog gone, vocabulary's changing fastern I kin keep up!

wat too doo?

[No Elephants]

10. Well, then best raise that alert from amber to red. That should do it.

[Deja Q]

2. And around the world too...

But, yeah, for the world's richest country - we should be ashamed. We SHOULD be a beacon. We SHOULD be an influence. We SHOULD be an... example.

Some other countries are feeling mighty special right now... and when the corporate interests leave, will they say "We were just spoiled" or will they get angry? Or do what is going on in Freedom Fries country, aka "France"...?

[No Elephants]

11. Are we still the richest country in the world? I thought we were only the biggest debtor now.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

3. maybe multimillion earners should pay poverty tax on top of income tax (Rush could sell his jet)

people sitting on vast multimillion fortunes say in excess of $5 million should pay a special poverty tax which would feed hungry children.

[SpiralHawk]

4. Global Farm Grab Vs. Our Native Need for Food

"In a disquieting rush to secure food supplies, financial speculators around the world are gobbling up farmland in developing nations and causing land prices to soar. Some call it the new colonialism, but most just call it an old-fashioned land grab.

"Land grabbing and food speculation is not just an overseas phenomenon; it’s also happening in North America. Mammoth investment funds have poured hundreds of billions of dollars into the financial markets for commodities like wheat, corn and soybeans, establishing higher prices for consumers and fatter profits for themselves. Other private investors have made bolder, longer-term speculative bets that the world’s inescapable need for food will soon intensify; they are grabbing ownership not just farmland, but also of fertilizer supplies, grain elevators, and shipping equipment..."

Snip.... http://thecalloftheland.wordpress.com/

[SerfinUSA]

6. "May face hunger"? "At risk for hunger"?

Sounds pretty nebulous.

[Igel]

8. Report here.

http://feedingamerica.org/our-network/the-studies/~/media/Files/research/child-food-insecurity.ashx


Definitions are lacking, of course, but can be found here: http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/FoodSecurity/labels.htm

Every time such a report comes out, some caveats are needed since "food insecure" does not mean "hungry." They are not synonyms; they are not near synonyms. "Food insecure" has been broken into two subparts:

Food insecurity without hunger = Low food security = Reports of reduced quality, variety, or desirability of diet. Little or no indication of reduced food intake

Food insecurity with hunger = Very low food security = Reports of multiple indications of disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake

What does "Reports of multiple indications of disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake" mean? Not "hungry" in any usually accepted sense:



Now, those things aren't good. But by those definitions, I've been food insecure more than once--forced to skimp on or skip a meal because of finances, had unhealthy diet because of finances, etc. Sometimes it's the fear that's important; sometimes it's the "once or more in 3 or more months" bit. "Food insecure" is the right word for this. As I said, not a good. But not as bad as people usually understand it to mean.

Keep in mind this is an upper bound on actual hunger. The real percentage of people experiencing it--whether 2, 8, or 64 years old--is probably a lot smaller.

[gate of the sun]

9. I have an idea

to open a full fledged bulk food store in new mexico...this includes everything even things like eggs and butter so people can buy what they can afford and then make it a non-for profit and send the proceeds to the children in town who can't afford food. I'm growing tomatoes heirloom this summer to raise the capital to start my non for profit.. I hope it works..open to suggestion from anyone with ideas.... I feel that in an ideal world grocery stores wouldn't be for profit.

[No Elephants]

12. Great idea. I have said that we could end most of our undocumented immigrant issues if

people could keep themselves and their kids fed, housed and literate in their home lands.

I have no ideas, but I congratulate you and offer my best wishes for your success. And, it's odd, but, when you follow your heart, sometimes, the money shows up for you too. If it does, I know you'll use it well.

Peace.

[Sultana]

13. Unacceptable!

Shame on this country when it chooses CEOs over helpless children.

SHAME!

[lovuian]

14. yep people this is what they have taken us down to

a third world country
the haves and have nots