The Facts

(November 2009 Report from US Dept of Agriculture)

~ 16.7 million children -- nearly one in four -- live in households that do not have access to enough nutrition food to lead active, healthy lives.

~ The percentage of children living in food-insecure households rose by 34 percent from 2007 to 2008 -- the highest since the government started tracking food insecurity in 1995.

~ The recession is making the problem worse -- the poverty rate among children reached 19 percent, the highest of any age group.

~ Demand for emergency food assistance has increased, with food banks reporting a 30 percent average increase in service demand in 2009

Child hunger is unacceptable in America.

~ We have enough food.

~ When children don't get enough nutritious food, they fall behind physically, cognitively, academically, emotionally and socially,

~ Ending child hunger will improve the health of America's people while reducing short- and long-term healthcare costs, increase the educational success of our children, and help the nation regain its workforce competitiveness and economic strength.

President Obama has set a goal of ending child hunger by 2015.

~ Every child in the US will grow up with access to nutritious food

~ America's children will have the nutrition they need to thrive and become healthy, productive citizens

~ With an investment of leadership and resources, we can lift all of America's children into food security and eliminate child hunger in the US once and for all

Steps to End Childhood Hunger by 2015

1. Create economic growth that provides opportunities for all (jobs)

2. Increase the minimum wage (indexed for inflation)

3. Establish a tax system that helps families thrive (increase Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit)

4. Improve key supports to help families with children meet their basic needs (make housing affordable to needy families, provide child care program assistance for low-wage workers, reform unemployment insurance to include more people who work at low wages or part-time, protect families with individuals with disabilities)

5. Ensure access to affordable, quality healthcare

6. Increase access to and participation in the federal nutrition programs (simplify enrollment, expand outreach, support innovations, increase availability)

7. Expand federal nutrition eligibility to reach all food-insecure children (restore Food Stamp eligibility to all immigrants lawfully resident in the US, raise income eligibility and eliminate asset tests)

8. Ensure that children have not only enough food but enough nutritious food

9. Provide the leadership required to reach the 2015 goal.