The eighteenth century British officer, Major General James Wolfe once said, “A few regular troops from old France, weakened by hunger and sickness, who, when fresh, were unable to withstand the British soldiers, are their general’s chief dependence.”
In this Wolfe correctly observes that people, starved and hurting can do little other than focus on their deprivations, but those who are fed and well are a nation’s strength. It is in this same vein that we applaud newly articulated policies by local school districts with regard to provision of free and low cost meals for students.
According to a recent Commercial report, new formulas will be used to calculate a child’s eligibility under the National School Lunch Program, Afterschool Snack Program, and/or School Breakfast Program. Participating districts include Dollarway, Watson Chapel, White Hall and Pine Bluff schools. Parents may obtain a copy of the new guidelines at the respective district offices.
A 2009 report compiled by the advocacy group, Feeding America, titled Child Food Insecurity: The Economic Impact On Our Nation, details multiple impacts of food insecurity and hunger on child health, growth and development, as well as the economic effects of child hunger in the United States. The report explains the lifelong negative consequences child food insecurity has on individuals and families.
According to the USDA, 12.4 million American children — one in six — are food insecure. Twenty percent of children under the age of five live at risk of hunger in 13 states. Locally, we know that almost 40 percent of area children live in poverty. Putting these numbers in perspective, Professor John Cook of the Boston Medical Center and Boston University School of Medicine, a nationally-recognized expert on child hunger states, “Child hunger is robbing us of the best of America’s imagination and ingenuity. Sustainable economic recovery depends on freeing children of the burden of hunger and malnutrition and supporting their optimal growth and development.” Cook goes on to say, “The impact of child hunger is more far reaching than one might anticipate. Child food insecurity creates billions of dollars in costs to our society. Child hunger affects a child’s health, education and job readiness. Our best universities are graduating more students from other countries and fewer from the U.S. because we are failing to prepare our children to learn and develop their best skills, creativity and abilities.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The vast majority of scholarship on the matter concurs with Cook’s assessment. For instance, we know that the long-term costs of cutting domestic nutrition programs such as those outlined above can have devastating spillover effects. For instance, hunger costs the United States an estimated $167 billion annually in lost productivity, reduced educational outcomes, and increased healthcare costs.
Collaterally, children who are persistently poor are much less likely to be consistently employed as adults. Inconsistent employment in turn contributes to residential instability, increased likelihood of involvement with drugs, alcohol abuse and crime. Many people deride the “nanny state” mentality — the idea that the government should be all things to all people — diapers to coffins. Maybe there are places where such concerns are valid, but the eradication of childhood hunger is not one of them. Children, while having no control over their parent’s choices and situations are nonetheless held captive by them. We as a community (and a nation) could easily stand idly by and let the cruel winds of fate claim whatever victims it can; or we can act on behalf of those who suffer in silence, whose lives are and futures are stunted through no fault of their own. In virtually all the world’s religious traditions, the act of feeding the hungry is lauded and held up as part of our obligations to one another.
As these studies have now shown, selfless giving now will manifest as brighter tomorrows for everyone.