School food programs crucial for children

Kathleen Parker ('‘Let's Move!' campaign goes too far,” June 3) needs to do the math in criticizing mothers who 'have forgotten how to make a sandwich.”

The problem is increasing poverty, which makes the purchase of food increasingly difficult.

Per Feeding America, 13 percent of Iowans worry about having sufficient food. About 55,740 Iowans in Linn and surrounding counties are food-insecure.

Nationwide, three out of five K-8 teachers report children who regularly come to school hungry. Of the one in seven Americans receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, 47 percent are under age 18.

School breakfast and lunch programs are a sad necessity in a society that has left middle-class wage earners behind.

Any effort to provide adequate nutrition and education in school food programs is to be commended.

Mary Kemen

Cedar Rapids