Children are the future. It is something that you hear all of the time. It makes sense that we invest in those who will be our future teachers, executives and members of congress now, before they grow up. We want our future to be strong, informed, educated and ready to lead the innovation of our future generations. What makes a strong child? We know that education is important and we also know that it is expensive. It makes sense that we would want to make every effort we can to make sure that kids show up there ready to learn.
In northern Nevada, 1 out of every 4 of our children is at risk of hunger and in the Washoe County School district 28,000 students (48%) qualify for free and reduced school lunch. That is almost half of our kids. How can we think that it won’t make a difference in our kids’ education that so many of them struggle to get adequate nutrition? The studies say that kids who are hungry have trouble settling down and learning. They say that they don’t do as well in school. They say that they have behavior problems and they say that they are sick more often.
I care about all of those things as a food banker but what really drives me is another role that I have and that is Mom. As a mom I don’t need any studies or data to tell me that child hunger is bad and a real problem. The thought of not having food for my children hits me in the gut. I grew up in a house where food was the center of our celebrations, gatherings, and evening family time. I was so fortunate to be able to grow up in a house where conversations about food centered around what foods we liked and disliked instead of whether there was enough or not. When I was unemployed for a short time in the height of the recession, it was pretty obvious to me how easy it would be for our family to lose everything and need help. I was lucky to find work in short order but so many are not.
We see these families every day. I’ve seen a grandmother cry talking about the importance of the programs that help feed her grandchildren and the SNAP benefits that she feels save her life each month. I have seen a child get her summer lunch in the park and rip open its contents so fast making it obvious to me that she had not eaten in a while.
This problem has a solution that helps these kids eat every day. Children are given free nutritious meals each day through programs like the National School Lunch program, school breakfast, and the Kids Cafe Dinner and Summer Meals programs.
Every five years the funding for these programs needs to be reauthorized and that is happening right now. The programs expire this fall and it turns my stomach how difficult it can be to get support for the funding of these programs. Right now, email, call and tweet your representatives and tell them that this is a priority for you.
Let them know that these kids have a voice and it is yours.
Recently, the Senate also introduced the Hunger Free Summer for Kids Act of 2015. This bill, if shown to have the support of people like you, will be included in the Child Nutrition Act before Congress votes on it. It is a bill that offers food banks and other providers more options to serve children where summer meal sites don’t exist and meals aren’t reaching kids. Call (888-398-8702) or write your senator today and make them know it is worth including!
Help us make a yummy sandwich to feed the future.
Jocelyn Lantrip is the Director of Marketing & Communications for the Food Bank of Northern Nevada and has worked for the organization for six years. She loves her job as a hunger fighter and is very passionate about families getting the food they need. She also loves to talk about the Food Bank and give tours of the warehouse facility. Contact her anytime with questions.
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While the Food Bank of Northern Nevada may issue position papers on information related to political and policy issues, the Food Bank of Northern Nevada does not endorse any political parties or candidates for public office. Any political statements or endorsements made by individuals or organizations adding the Food Bank of Northern Nevada’s information to their website does not represent a political endorsement, the position, or policy of the Food Bank of Northern Nevada. Any candidate for public office claiming an endorsement from the Food Bank of Northern Nevada, its departments or offices is doing so without permission.
