Billy Shore: “Poverty is a complicated issue, but feeding a child is not”
Washington D.C. January 11, 2016– The following is a statement from Billy Shore, Founder and CEO of No Kid Hungry, assessing the State of the Union on childhood hunger:
President Obama’s case for why the state of our union is strong and growing stronger would be even more compelling if it included a comprehensive strategy for the stronger children on whom American depends. We can’t have a strong America unless we have strong kids. One way to achieve that is by eradicating the scourge of child poverty.
Poverty is complicated, but feeding a child is not. We know how to connect children in need to programs like school breakfast and summer meals. And we know that such programs which boost academic achievement are at least one ingredient to breaking the cycle of poverty.
No child in America should go hungry, yet one-in-five children in America lives in a family that struggles to consistently put enough food on the table. Ending childhood hunger is, however, a solvable problem. Two million fewer kids are now food insecure compared to when we launched No Kid Hungry in 2010. Major cities like Los Angeles, Dallas, New York and New Orleans have made breakfast a part of the school day for every student – the fastest, easiest way to dramatically improve the lives of millions of kids in the United States.
In 2016, we have an opportunity to propel this momentum to go even further, faster, in feeding hungry kids. Summer is the hungriest time of year for millions of kids from low-income families. The federal summer meals program is a lifeline for these kids, but today, it only reaches a fraction of the kids who need it. We must urge Congress to move forward on the bipartisan Childhood Nutrition Reauthorization program – including bipartisan reforms to the summer meals program that would make the program more efficient and effective.
We have enough food in this nation. With leadership and coordination between elected officials, businesses, non-profits and other community organizations, kids across the country could get the meals they need to grow up strong. But it needs to be a priority, and it needs a bigger spotlight. In order to build a nation that is healthier, stronger, smarter, and more economically competitive, we must work together to end child poverty, starting with childhood hunger.”
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To speak to Mr. Shore about childhood hunger in America, contact Christy Felling at cfelling@strength.org or 202.320.4483.
ABOUT NO KID HUNGRY
No child should go hungry in America, but 1 in 5 kids will face hunger this year. Using proven, practical solutions, No Kid Hungry is ending childhood hunger today by ensuring that kids start the day with a nutritious breakfast, are able to get the nutrition they need during the summertime, and families learn the skills they need to shop and cook on a budget. When we all work together, we can make sure kids get the healthy food they need. No Kid Hungry is a campaign of national anti-hunger organization Share Our Strength.