The President promised, while campaigning, to put an end to child hunger. He promised that by 2015 every child in America would have adequate access to healthy foods. The Food Research and Action Center has not forgotten this pledge and recently released a summary of key strategies that must be implemented in order to actualize a goal they say is grand but possible.

Obama's mother was a single parent who had to utilize social programs, like food stamps, to get by. He was one of the estimated 12.6 million children who live with consistent limited access to adequate and healthy food. Unlike Obama, many food insecure children fall into further distress due to resulting health and educational setbacks.

According to research by Feeding America, this problem impacts Americans in significant ways:

• Hungry children are sick more often, and more likely to have to be hospitalized (the costs of which are passed along to the business community as insurance and tax burdens)
• Hungry children ages 0-3 years cannot learn as much, as fast, or as well because chronic
undernutrition harms their cognitive development during this critical period of rapid brain growth,
actually changing the fundamental neurological architecture of the brain and central nervous system
• Child hunger leads to greater absenteeism, presenteeism and turnover in the work environment, all of which are costly for employers. Child sick days are linked to parent employee absences, for instance.

»Read FRAC's Recommendations (pdf)

»
Read the Feeding America Report (pdf)

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