Childhood Hunger Statistics

CHILDHOOD HUNGER STATISTICS

Hunger affects 46.5 million people in the United States, nearly 12 million of them children.[1]

Nearly 70 percent of public school students nationally qualify for the federal Free and Reduced Price School Meals program,[2]totaling nearly 31 million students.[3]

In 2013 there were 5,097,743,451 lunches served to students in the federal Free and Reduced Price School Meals Program.[4]

Eighty-four percent of households with children report purchasing the cheapest food available, even if it wasn’t the healthiest option, in an effort to providing enough food for their household. [5]

Hunger has both short- and long-term negative effects on children’s health – it weakens immune systems, increases hospitalization rates and impairs neural development. Unmet nutritional needs make it difficult for children to learn, pay attention in class, retain knowledge and behave properly.In fact, according to a study by the American Association of Pediatrics, grade repetition, tardiness, absenteeism and lower test scores are all associated with food insecurity.[6]

Over ##% of children in STATE are eligible for the federal Free and Reduced Price Meal program.[7]

In COUNTY NAME, over ##% of children are income-eligible for the federal Free and Reduced Price Meal program.[8]

BLESSINGS IN A BACKPACK’S WORK

Blessings in a Backpack provides food for elementary school children across America who may otherwise have little or no food to eat on weekends during the school year.

Blessings in a Backpack currently provides food for nearly 72,000students at 700 schools in 44 different states and the District of Columbia who are fed during the week by the National School Lunch Program.

In TOWN NAME, Blessings in a Backpack is currently providing a backpack full of food to ## students at SCHOOL NAME each weekend of the school year.

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[6]Alaimo, K., Olson, C.M. and Frongillo, E.A. Food Insufficiency and American School-Aged Children’s Cognitive, Academic and Psychosocial Development. Pediatrics 2001: 108; 44-53.

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