Obama Commits to Ending Childhood HungerNation’s Capital Among Places with Highest Rates
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Anti-hunger advocates are praising President Obama for signing a 2010 agriculture appropriations bill, which added three states and the District of Columbia to the Afterschool Meal Program. The District now becomes one of only 11 states with such a program — which means children won’t have to wonder if they’ll have dinner when they get home.
The move was part of the president’s pledge to end childhood hunger by 2015. The legislation also extends child nutrition programs through Sept. 30, 2010, in order to give Congress more time to reauthorize them.
The Rev. David Beckmann, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Bread for the World, welcomed the host of child nutrition priorities mentioned during a White House event last month.
He said at the time that while he was pleased with Obama’s commitment to end child hunger, reaching that objective by 2015 was critical because there are more than 12 million children in this country whose families struggle to feed them.
“What
said is that we need a strong federal food program,” Beckmann said during a phone interview this week with the AFRO. “In the next few months, Congress is going to be updating the child nutrition program as well as the summer lunch and school breakfast initiatives, so we need communities to work at their levels to use those programs and coordinate them with state and local programs.”
http://www.afro.com/tabId/551/itemId/5370/Obama-Commits-to-Ending-Childhood-Hungerbr-br.aspx Obama proposes $1 billion/year boost for child nutritionThe increase would go to "improving program access, enhancing the nutritional quality of school meals, expanding nutrition research and evaluation and improving program oversight," said the White House.
Child nutrition programs are due for renewal by Congress this year. They cost roughly $15 billion a year. Obama's proposal would add $9.85 billion to the programs through fiscal 2019.
An estimated 32 million children eat lunch each day through the school lunch program this school year and about 8 million participate in the school breakfast program.
Obama has a goal of eliminating childhood hunger by 2015.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE51P4Q420090226usaservice .org Fighting Hunger with President & Mrs. Obamahttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Plhzr859lw8Seven-part plan to end hunger of U.S. childrenThe White House is showing the way by focusing on hunger and nutrition. President Barack Obama has pledged to end childhood hunger in the United States by 2015, and is showing a commitment toward achieving that goal.
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Ending hunger for the more than 12 million American children who don't get enough healthy food, however, will require all hands on deck.
http://kennebecjournal.mainetoday.com/view/columns/6604867.htmlGovernment Able to End Hunger in US, Activist Says"President Obama has promised to end child hunger in the United States by 2015. But you haven't heard about it. The media is writing about what Michelle Obama is wearing. Or what kind of dog they're going to get," Joel Berg almost shouted.
Fifty people showed up to hear Mr. Berg, executive director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger, talk about his new book, "All You Can Eat: How Hungry is America?" at WPXI last night.
While the subject was grim -- more than 36 million Americans currently live in a state of food insecurity -- the mood was surprisingly optimistic.
Mr. Berg marshaled plenty of statistics, but he also spoke about the progress that has been made and would continue to be made as long as people commit to ending hunger, rather than just mitigating its effects.
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/04/07-5National Anti-Hunger Organizations Release “Roadmap to End Childhood Hunger” in Response to President’s Goal of Ending Child Hunger by 201512/17/09
The National Anti-Hunger Organizations (NAHO) today released the Roadmap to End Childhood Hunger in America by 2015, recommending nine steps that will collectively eliminate child hunger in the United States. The report was drafted in response to President Obama’s pledge to end child hunger by 2015.
“While the President’s goal is ambitious, it is also achievable,” said Dr. H. Eric Schockman, Chair of NAHO. “The Roadmap outlines the steps our country must take to make the President’s goal a reality for all children. NAHO believes the United States can be free of childhood hunger by 2015,” Schockman said.
NAHO presented its report in a briefing on Capitol Hill. Kevin Concannon, USDA Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, gave opening remarks. Senator Sherrod Brown, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Hunger, Nutrition, and Family Farms, reacted to the report.
“No child should go hungry,” said Sen. Brown, author of the Hunger Free Schools Act. “But during these challenging economic times, more parents are struggling to feed their children. We all share a responsibility to end childhood hunger. Success will require a coordinated response between the government, private, and non-profit sectors. This Roadmap should serve to remind us of the work ahead.”
To end child hunger, the Roadmap recommends increasing economic opportunity, bolstering income supports, and strengthening the nutritional safety net. The report also calls for leadership. “Presidential leadership will be critical to our success, both to enact the necessary policy changes and to make this goal a priority for Congress and state and local government,” Schockman said.
The Roadmap also includes a list of "Immediate Steps" that translates report recommendations into priority actions to be undertaken right away. One of those is the reauthorization of child nutrition programs, up for renewal in 2010. Child nutrition programs provide food assistance to 18.5 million low-income children each school day, but we fail to connect millions more eligible children with the food they need. NAHO calls on the President and Congress to provide major new investments to fill gaps in current programs, reduce access barriers, boost participation and improve nutrition.
A report released last month by the U.S. Department of Agriculture showed that, as hunger increased in 2008, the number of children in food insecure households rose by 4.2 million to 16.7 million. Nearly one in four U.S. children is now at-risk of hunger, living in families that struggle to put food on the table.
NAHO cited the dramatic increase in child food insecurity as a call to action. “If we fail to end child hunger in our nation, we are all responsible for, and we are all impacted by, the tragedies that result—children who cannot learn in school because they are hungry, children who endure long-term, negative physical and mental effects because of inadequate nutrition,” Schockman said. “Hungry children, their families, and our country as a whole suffer the life-long consequences of these reduced outcomes.”
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/national-anti-hunger-organizations-release-roadmap-to-end-childhood-hunger-in-response-to-presidents-goal-of-ending-child-hunger-by-2015-79527522.html COLORADO LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO END CHILDHOOD HUNGERColorado — Gov. Bill Ritter, Lt. Gov. Barbara O'Brien, the Colorado Coalition to End Hunger and Share Our Strength, the leading national organization working to end childhood hunger, today announced the "Campaign to End Childhood Hunger in Colorado."
The campaign, which is supported by President Obama (view letter), will immediately work to increase the number of children enrolled in school breakfast and summer lunch programs while developing a comprehensive plan to end childhood hunger in Colorado by 2015.
http://strength.org/press_release/20091124/Many states have rejuvenated their Stop Child Hunger Programs.....
cause it is a worthy goal that we be achieved.
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