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Child Hunger Facts

 

Childhood Hunger in the United States

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The problem of childhood hunger is not simply a moral issue.  Scientific evidence suggests that hungry children are less likely to become productive citizens. 

A child who is unequipped to learn because of hunger and poverty is more likely to be poor as an adult.  As such, the existence of childhood hunger in the United States threatens future American prosperity.  

How we address childhood hunger:

Kids Cafe
Back Pack Program

Current Statistics

  • Over 9 million children are estimated to be served by the America's Second Harvest Network, over two million of which are ages five and under, representing nearly 13% of all children under age 18 in the United States and over 72% of all children in poverty.  [i]
  • According to the USDA, an estimated 12.6 million children lived in food insecure (low food security and very low food security) households in 2006 [ii]
  • Proper nutrition is vital to the growth and development of children, particularly for low-income children.  Sixty-two percent of all client households with children under the age of 18 participated in a school lunch program, but only 13% participated in a summer feeding program that provides free food when school is out.  [iii]
  • Fifty-one percent of client households with children under the age of three participated in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). [iv]
  • Nearly 41% of emergency food providers in the America's Second Harvest Network reported "many more children in the summer" being served by their programs. [v]
  • Emergency food assistance plays a vital role in the lives of low-income families.  In 2002, over half of the nonelderly families that accessed a food pantry at least once during the year had children under the age of 18. [vi]
  • 12.8 million or approximately 17.4% of children in the U.S. live in poverty. The rate of poverty for children under 18 remains higher than those aged 18- to- 64 and for those aged 65 and over.  [vii]
  • Research indicates that even mild undernutrition experienced by young children during critical periods of growth impacts the behavior of children, their school performance, and their overall cognitive development. [x]
  • In fiscal year 2005, 50% of children were food stamp recipients. [xi]
  • During the 2005 federal fiscal year, 17.5 million low-income children received free or reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch Program.  Unfortunately, just under two million of these same income-eligible children participated in the Summer Food Service Program that same year.  [xii]

i. Rhoda Cohen, M. Kim, and J. Ohls. Hunger In America 2006. America's Second Harvest-The Nation’s Food Bank Network. February 2006.

ii. Nord, Mark, M. Andrews, S. Carlson. United States Department of Agriculture/Economic Research Service, Household Food Security in the United States, 2006.

iii. Rhoda Cohen, M. Kim, and J. Ohls. Hunger In America 2006. America's Second Harvest-The Nation’s Food Bank Network. February 2006.

iv. Rhoda Cohen, M. Kim, and J. Ohls. Hunger In America 2006. America's Second Harvest-The Nation’s Food Bank Network. February 2006.

v. Rhoda Cohen, M. Kim, and J. Ohls. Hunger In America 2006. America's Second Harvest-The Nation’s Food Bank Network. February 2006.

vi. Zedlewski, Sheila, S. Nelson. Snapshots of America’s Families.  November 2003.

vii. DeNavas-Walt, Carmen, B.D. Proctor, C.H. Lee. U.S. Census Bureau,  Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2006. August 2007.

x. The Links Between Nutrition and Cognitive Development of Children, 1998, Tufts University School of Nutrition Science and Policy.

xi. Wolkwitz, Kari. United States Department of Agriculture, Office of Analysis, Nutrition and Evaluation. Characteristics of Food Stamp Households: Fiscal Year 2006, September 2007.

xii. United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service.