Closing the gap on hungry children

In recent years, non-profits and other national interests have rallied to fight the growing problem of childhood hunger.

In Iowa, organizations traditionally focused on feeding elderly populations have expanded their focus to include children's summer lunch programs. Their work is to be commended.

Yet, so far. summer lunch programs have only been able to serve a fraction of our communities' most vulnerable youth. In 2011, one out of every 10 low-income students in Iowa participated in a summer lunch program, this summer, that number is likely to reach one in every seven - a promising trend, but one that still doesn't bring the overwhelming majority of low-income children and teens to the table.

Here in The Corridor, about 28 percent of all K-12 students are eligible for free and reduced meals, according to Iowa Department of Education statistics (see table). And while those percentages vary widely from district to district, even within district boundaries, none of our communities is unaffected.

There is much to be done to make summer meal programs available to all needy youths; to make sure that none of our children go hungry.

Food needs

During the 2013-14 school year, a two-person household making less than $28,694 per year qualified for reduced-price school lunches. If that same household made $20,163 or less, the student received free school meals. For reference, workers clocking 40-hours per week at a minimum wage job earn $15,080 per year.

About 196,000 children and teens, or 41.1 percent of all K-12 Iowa public school students, were eligible for free or reduced meals during the 2013-14 school year. While many counties that comprise the Creative Corridor - Benton, Cedar, Iowa, Johnson, Jones, Linn and Washington - have fared better overall, several districts in the Corridor, and specific schools within those districts, have rates well above the state average.

THE ISSUE

Growing up in poverty is one of the greatest threats to healthy child development. Poverty and financial stress can impede children's cognitive development and ability to learn. It also can contribute to behavioral, social and emotional problems and poor overall health.

And the problem is growing: As Charles Bruner, executive director of the Iowa-based Child & Family Policy Center, noted in an April guest column, 'Since 1966, the poverty rate among seniors has declined by two-thirds, while for young children, it has risen by one-fifth.”

Children in poverty have few means to improve their lot; they are dependent upon their parents for resources. Community and government supports must be more nuanced in order to reach the children most at-risk.

While many students have access healthy meals during the school year as part of the USDA funded National School Lunch Program, summer brings with it increased food insecurity.

Students most vulnerable during the summer months are those in their 'tween” years - too old for traditional child care services, which provide healthy meals, and not yet old enough for summer employment. Already-strapped parents of children in this age group often are left in the lurch.

Community resources - such as food pantries - also feel the pain of summer food insecurity. Most regional food pantries report increased need during the summer months, with some reporting as much as a 20 percent increase over winter demands.

THE RESPONSE

Cedar Rapids volunteers, working with the United Way of East Central Iowa, have launched a significant push to battle summertime hunger. During 2013, the organization operated 13 meal sites for area youths. This year there are 24. Organizations in Iowa City, North Liberty and throughout the Corridor also have increased their offerings for 2014.

In addition to a healthy meal, program sites offer activities aimed at battling 'summer slump” - learning loss that takes place when school is not in session - and other recreational and social offerings.

Unlike school lunch programs that require paperwork and eligibility checks, the summer lunch sites generally are available to all youth, no questions asked.

This is because USDA-approved sites are placed within known vulnerable areas - where 50 percent or more of school-aged children qualify for free or discounted school meals - and many others are part of a faith-based or public-private collaborative effort.

Such initiatives are important and should be encouraged, supported and applauded even as we search for more collaborative and unique ways to make sure all our children have access to healthy meals.

solutions

Still, as we noted earlier, local programs are meeting only a fraction of the need. It will take creative approaches and community support to protect all Corridor youths from summer hunger.

Making sure meal sites are accessible and attractive to all kids, including vulnerable 'tweens,” is an important first step. Many youths only can participate when the program is within walking or biking distance of their home or a bus route. Busy roads without marked crossings can pose safety issues for youth.

We also wonder about other alternatives.

During the wake of the 2008 floods, the Red Cross operated food trucks that served food to workers throughout the affected communities. Could such a system also serve households without transportation?

During the school year, a backpack program is used to help low-income families access healthy food during school breaks or over weekends.

Could a similar initiative be launched in rural areas, allowing students to take home several days' worth of food instead of traveling daily for a single meal?

Many food service businesses throughout the Corridor already partner with pantries and shelters to eliminate food waste. Could those programs be better organized and expanded to help low- and middle-income families?

Can more communities begin gardens that ease the summertime pressures felt by local food banks? Or should we advocate fruit and vegetable plants replace flowers in public space planters? These and other options should be explored.

There is no easy solution to childhood hunger. It is a complex problem that will take concerted, consistent effort to fight.

But no child should go hungry in summer any more than in winter.

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