Imagine you go to work 5 days, 6, or maybe you work all 7 days a week. A full work week looks like anywhere from 40 to 100 hours per week. You have little ones at home, maybe even a dog or a cat or two, and you’re raising them and paying the bills by yourself, and you have to decide whether you’re going to go grocery shopping or pay your rent this month. For over 47 million people, this is part of the reality they face every day.
With everything that’s happening in politics and the economy, it’s no surprise that inflation has changed all of our lives recently, some worse than others. I think it’s safe to say that most of us (if not all) have had to make budget changes. Maybe you’re not able to take your kids out for lunch on the weekend or sign them up for extracurriculars like dancing school or baseball. That would be on the more fortunate side of the spectrum. There are families who are lucky to have given their children a satisfying, nutritious meal this week. In 2022, 49 million people have turned to food programs, and nearly 14 million children faced hunger in 2023. 100% of the U.S. countries faced food insecurity, where 1 in 5 children don’t have enough to eat. What can we—what will our future leaders do about it?
George Magazine brought this issue to light in the November 2000 issue in an article titled This American is Hungry by Dale Maharidge, where he visits local families in Tennessee after the Oshkosh B’Gosh factory closed down, eliminating over one thousand local jobs that became outsourced to other countries so the company can get away with paying workers lower wages. People like Elizabeth Boles, who worked for the company, earned $10 per hour. When the factory closed, she was left to find anything else to provide for her family and to keep a roof over her head. That landed her a job making $5.15 per hour, about half the salary she was used to making. Living the lifestyle she was used to living while only making half the money to maintain it, as a single mother, Boles does everything she can to provide for her son. Outsourcing jobs like hers have impacted thousands of Americans since then. This provides resources to other countries but our own, takes advantage of slave labor, and contradicts the “American Dream.”
Today, the annual report on the status of children and youth in Tennessee shows us an in-depth look at its youngest citizens. In 2022, 17.6% of Tennessean children lived below the federal poverty line. This is the closest the state has gotten to the poverty line, which is at 16.3%. In 2021, food insecurity varied widely among children depending on the county they resided in. Counties like Williamstown have 90.0%, while counties like Haywood show 26.3% food insecurity in children. 91% of schools were eligible for Community Eligibility Provision in 2022-23, helping provide free meals to schools for children who couldn’t afford the meals. That same year, 270 schools had a produce garden to help families of students who were in need.
While Tennessean families struggle to meet household financial needs, 40% stated it was difficult to pay for normal household expenses just the week prior. The weekly wage between 2019 and 2023 has increased by 27%, equaling about $268 per week. However, this is little to no help when the cost of everything has substantially increased. As of 2023, inflation has caused a significant rise in the cost of living in the United States. Over the past four years, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has shown an overall increase of around 15-20%, depending on the specific time frame and categories of goods. Today, one in six renters is behind on their rent. One in three families claimed to reduce their basic needs, like buying new clothes, getting lunch with friends, or even cutting back on after-school activities, just to ensure they can pay their energy bills.
According to the U.S. Census, the child poverty rate has more than doubled in 2022, from 5.2% in 2021 to an astronomical 12.4% in 2022. Historically low child poverty rates were due to the Child Tax Credit. Renewing the Child Tax Credit, enacted in 1997, could have kept three million children above the poverty line in 2022. The CTC has undergone several changes in recent years, particularly during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, the American Rescue Plan temporarily expanded the CTC, increasing the amount per child and making it fully refundable. This allowed many families to receive significant payments. However, the expanded benefits were set to expire at the end of 2021. Since then, there have been discussions and proposals to either extend or make some of the changes permanent, but as of now, the CTC has reverted to its previous structure, with a lower maximum amount and certain eligibility criteria. The CTC currently provides up to $2,000 per child to about 40 million families each year.
Child hunger has been one of the leading epidemics in the U.S. for the last three decades. Things like low-income families, lack of affordable housing, and racism and discrimination all have a part in child hunger.
As I read through this heart wrenching story, I picked up that most people Maharidge spoke to were not keen on the idea of food stamps, like they were too good to actually accept the handout. “Too proud, I guess,” Boles stated. Too proud to accept the help? Or do you not want anyone to know of your situation? For many, this was the case. One of the former Oshkosh employees who wished to remain anonymous explained to Maharidge that they were SO not willing to compromise their lifestyle, thus leading them to $40,000 in debt and are willing to “work until they die.” Would you call that ego? During a time where divorce was barely socially acceptable and being gay was still considered taboo, it’s no wonder nobody wanted to accept help or a “handout”. It was still new at the time, and nobody was in a rush to accept the resources they all so desperately needed. Rather, people resorted to local food pantries. Still a huge help in a hungry community, but I guess it was more tolerable to accept free groceries than it was to accept “free money.”
On the other end, there’s Maggie Segura, a 24-year-old mother of two who works full-time for the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services. At the time, her ultimate boss was George W. Bush. Segura earned about double the minimum wage at the time, at $10 per hour. It still wasn’t enough. While pushing a 50-plus-hour work week, she rapidly ran through her expenses: paying her mortgage ($312), car payment ($298), pampers ($150), furniture payment ($100), car insurance ($80), food ($80), health insurance ($70), and food for her grandmother, who provides free daycare ($70). Then there’s gasoline for the car ($60), electricity ($50), phone ($20), natural gas ($20), book club for her daughter’s reading ($30), and one coloring book a month ($10). With all these expenses, Segura is left with a negative balance (-$110) per month.
With these bare necessity expenses, that leaves no room for any new clothes for her or her daughters or incidentals like toilet paper, toothpaste, or deodorant. One would think working for someone who wants to benefit the country as their leader, he would make sure at the very least that his direct employees can live comfortably.
Along with the obvious epidemic of hungry children, with subpar nutrition and meals comes subpar health. Food insecure households face additional healthcare costs. According to Dr. Hilary Seligman and Dr. Seth Berkowitz, in 2016, national health care costs due to inadequate nutrition totaled $5.29 billion. In the George article, The Growing Epidemic of Adult-Onset Anemia in the United States by Peter Samuels in issue 22, we talk about chronic health issues becoming the norm. It’s no coincidence that the children who dealt with food insecurity 24 years ago are the adults of today with health issues across America. Anemia is a blanket term for multiple underlying diseases like iron deficiency, chronic diseases, nutritional deficiency, and genetic disorders. Anemia can cause fatigue, shortness of breath, cardiovascular strain, and pregnancy complications, as well as preterm birth, low birth weight, and developmental delays in infants.
Although the demographic for anemia varies depending on age, sex, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status, there has been an overall increase in anemia diagnosis, especially for women of reproductive age, senior citizens, and individuals with lower income. 2.8 million physician visits recorded patients having anemia as the primary diagnosis, and the Emergency department has had anemia as the primary diagnosis of over 800,000 visits. As conditions worsened with age, male patients 65 and older increased from 7.4% to a whopping 39.54%. Women also faced a large increase, however less severe than the male statistic.
Organizations like Feeding America are the leading voice on ending hunger in America. They are a nationwide network that includes food banks, food pantries, and local meal programs. “We’re committed to listening to the tens of millions of Americans who experience food insecurity and work together to help the communities most impacted by hunger get the food and resources they need to thrive,” is stated on their website. “We advocate for policies that address the root causes of hunger and continue to innovate solutions that increase equitable access to nutritious food.”
Feeding America got its start in the late 1960’s when a mother visiting her local meal program made the brilliant suggestion of having local food that was getting thrown away be collected and stored for people who needed it. They also support programs that provide food to children after school, over the weekend, and during the summer so that children who depend on their schools to have a meal are still able to have free food to eat during the 2-month break. BackPack Programs provide children with easy-to-make meals for the weekends and school breaks. School Pantries is a partnership between food banks and schools so students can pick up food for their families. Kids Cafe offers free meals to kids after school, on weekends, and during the summer, as well as tutoring programs and other fun activities. Summer Meal Programs offers meals to children nationwide. Their website also has SNAP Application Assistance to help families receive monthly funds for groceries. SNAP remains the largest anti-hunger program in America, helping over 41 million families in 2022.
Student at Russell Sage College in Troy, New York, Sophia Pearl told me about how she got her foot in the door to helping feed local families in need. “I wanted to start a birthday cake program in our local shelter because I believe that everyone should get to celebrate their birthday,” Sophia stated. “Children are in this shelter; we brought a cake and stayed to serve dinner, which made us realize the importance of giving back to our community.” As a Nutrition Major, Sophia went on to ensure the importance of making sure everyone has enough to eat daily. “Towards the end of the semester, I had leftover dining-dollars that were going to expire, and instead of purchasing extra food that I didn’t need, I bought ready-to-eat sandwiches, salads, protein shakes, water bottles, yogurts and walked around Troy with a box of this stuff, handing it out to the homeless people we ran into.” Sophia describes Troy as a “food desert,” a neighborhood or community that has limited access to affordable and nutritious food. There are no grocery stores available within walking distance; you need a car. This limited food access leaves people in need with no other option other than going to a convenience store to buy pre-packaged and processed foods, leading to malnutrition and obesity. “To be noted, just because someone is obese does not mean they aren’t malnourished—people can be getting sufficient calories without receiving sufficient nutrients,” Sophia clarified.
Sophia tells me her stance on feeding a hungry nation: “I believe that food insecurity can be combated through humility and humanity, realizing that you are also one missed paycheck from becoming food insecure. You are not above helping others if you are able to. Put yourself in other people’s shoes—how would you feel if you didn’t know where your next meal will come from and when that would be? Volunteering and advocacy makes change. Food insecurity should not be a political issue in which people “pick a side” but should be seen as a humanitarian crisis in which everyone, from either political party, should agree to fix since the right to eat is the right to live—aligning with our country’s founding principles, “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
In an article published in May of 2024 titled Troubling Child Poverty Trends, Thomas P. DiNapoli reports the rate of child poverty across New York State is one of the worst in the nation and is alarmingly high in some of its cities. Despite the unstable economy that was present during the pandemic, COVID-19, child poverty dropped by half due to government extended programs. When these resources were no longer in effect, the problem became worse than before. 1 in 5 children in New York State live in poverty. It’s the same statistic from 24 years ago, but the number of children has gone up as society has grown.
Aside from local food pantries and other helpful, community-funded help, there are businesses like Bargain Grocery Troy who benefit the community of Troy, New York, by offering food items for a low cost. They are part of Compassion Coalition, an entrepreneurial-based, non-profit organization in central New York. Compassion Coalition is funded by Bargain Grocery, allowing them to be self-sustaining. They do not rely on any government grants or ongoing funding for any operational costs, allowing them to meet community needs that would not be met otherwise by other non-profits. Compassion Coalition created its own funding source, allowing for sustainability while bringing food accessibility and equality.
Compassion Coalition has been serving Utica and Central New York for almost twenty years. With Utica being a community that has endured many challenges like recessions, deep poverty, loss of jobs, and holds one of the highest refugee and immigrant populations of any capital city in America. CEO and founder, Mike Servello Sr. wanted to create something that was entrepreneurial-based, sustainable, and easy to replicate for other counties in need. With Compassion Coalition continuing to grow over the last two decades, they have given over $20,000 in product donations yearly to their communities, non-profits, schools, and fellow emergency food workers. The first location opened in December of 2018, increasing their retail location from 1,200 sq. ft. to over 13,000 sq. ft.
It’s a popular belief that poverty is a policy choice. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a $78 billion tax legislation that includes an expanded CTC and various tax breaks for businesses in the beginning of 2024. With all the buzz of this year’s upcoming election, it’s important we pay attention to how this ongoing issue plans to be resolved.
Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, have come up with a plan to help slow down and eventually put an end to hungry children in America, as well as former President Donald Trump and his running mate, J.D. Vance. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Independent candidate, has made a huge stand on the nutrition and health of all Americans. Kennedy has made his entire platform about informing Americans of how sick we actually all are. From the food we eat every day to the water we drink, from the candles we burn in our homes constantly to the soap we cleanse our bodies with, Kennedy has made it a point to inform us all about the corruption the FDA has allowed to slip past their fingers in this country for YEARS. “The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) was created to help the family farmer and to ensure a wholesome food supply,” RFK Jr. stated during his campaign event in Maine in July 2024. “—But its actual job is to do the exact opposite—it is to give us poisoned, processed, addictive foods that are mass poisoning us and killing us and making us the sickest population in the world.” Following Kennedy’s endorsement for former President Donald Trump, he continues to spread awareness on nutrition, especially among the youth of our country, for they will be the leaders of tomorrow.
With the number of hungry Americans at an all-time high, government-funded resources like SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) are in place to help provide for food insecure U.S. citizens and families. A local mother and wife I spoke with in New York, who wishes to remain anonymous, relies on government assistance to help provide for her expanding family. “It’s a really big help—but WIC doesn’t cover organic, non-GMO, healthy foods that I want to feed to my daughter,” she explained to me. In 2016, the Babycenter.com community forum had a post from an admin by the username of Kindnessfirsatmama, expressing concern over the same issue. “I’m so thankful to have the support through WIC. However, it’s frustrating that WIC has so many stipulations on healthy, organic food,” she explained. “They have allowances on cereal with sugar and high fructose corn syrup and milk with hormones—yet they won’t allow organic when buying milk, cereal, or eggs—as well as other foods. They specify “no organic” on many categories.”
The Trump/Vance 2024 campaign has policies in place to help poverty. They believe that by defeating inflation and by bringing down all prices as well as tackling the cost-of-living crisis, it will not only improve fiscal sanity but also restore peace and stability. Unleashing American energy by producing our own oil and natural gas will bring significant benefits to our economy. Reliable and abundant low-cost energy is key. By lifting restrictions on American energy production and terminating the Socialist Green New Deal, it will save America $23 billion per year over a ten-year period. Reinstating Trump’s Deregulation Policies saved Americans $11,000 per household as well as stopping illegal immigration. By reversing America’s open border policies that have increased the cost of housing, healthcare, and education, deportation of illegal immigrants will help America take care of it’s Americans first before we generously offer that help to anyone else. Trump’s dedication to world peace can bring many benefits to America. With war comes inflation, and with geopolitical peace comes price stability.
Donald Trump believes that by cutting costly and wasteful government spending, our economy will thrive once again. By not increasing taxes on big businesses and billionaires, inflation will go down since the profit margin would return to what it once was (hopefully). Trump’s Tax Cuts and no tax on tips will allow Americans to keep more of their hard-earned cash, giving them more funds to support themselves and their families. We show peace through strength, and by ensuring fair and reciprocal trade deals, we will stand up to countries that cheat. We will prioritize American-made goods with the American First Trade Policy. This will protect US producers and help us fairly renegotiate failed agreements.
For the Harris/Walz 2024 campaign, the want for Americans to thrive is the same as their opponents. The difference comes from their policies. With the American Rescue Plan, Harris and Walz plan to change the course of the pandemic and bring relief for American workers by “building a bridge to an equitable economic recovery,” thus immediately reducing child poverty. More than two-thirds of its tax cuts will go directly to families making less than $90,000 annually. This is a two-step COVID-19 relief plan that works by investing in America, creating billions of jobs, combating the climate crisis, and advancing racial equity.
Harris also plans on making tax cuts for middle-class families. By restoring the CTC and Earned Income Tax Credit, nobody earning less than $400,000 annually will pay more in taxes, ensuring the wealthiest and largest American corporations pay their “fair share.” Harris plans to roll back Trump’s tax cuts on businesses and billionaires, as well as having a tax rate of 28% on long-term capital gains for anyone earning at least $1 million per year. One of her most influential and impactful policies is helping out first-time home buyers by providing them with up to $25,000 for down payments. This will help with the ongoing housing crisis.I’m curious to see if it will be similar to the Biden-Harris Student Debt Relief Plan, which has benefited nobody.
Child hunger and poverty in America are urgent issues affecting millions of families. While programs like SNAP and Feeding America provide critical support, we need systemic changes to address the root causes of food insecurity. As we approach upcoming elections, it’s vital to prioritize the voices of those impacted and hold leaders accountable for creating a more equitable society. Together, we can work toward a future where access to nutritious food is a fundamental right, ensuring that every child has the opportunity to thrive. The time for action is NOW.
