Why Hunger?
Hunger is a bigger problem than most of us realize.
Every day in Central Texas there are more than 100,000 children who are food insecure.
That means 1 out of 5 kids doesn't know where their next meal will come from.
However, the seriousness of this issue often stays hidden behind loving families and well kept homes.
Hunger affects everyday people who are trying their best—people in our neighborhoods and schools…people just like us.
What is hunger?
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines food insecurity as a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life.
It is important to know that though hunger and food insecurity are closely related, they are distinct concepts. Hunger refers to a personal, physical sensation of discomfort, while food insecurity refers to a lack of available financial resources for food at the household level.
A child will not necessarily tell you that they don’t have enough food at home, but if you know what to look for, you can see it:
- They might be anxious for a meal to be served.
- They might rush the cafeteria line or show up early for breakfast and snack times.
- During meals, they will eat all the food, not being picky and clean their plate.
- They will often hoard food, unsure of where their next meal will come from.
Suffering in silence, their energy is poured into managing hunger.
And this has a long-term impact on their well-being and outcomes in life.
The lifelong effects of hunger
Food insecurity is typically one piece in a bigger picture of adversity. It creates generational cycles of poverty by negatively impacting a child’s health, education, and future prospects.
Hunger & health
A poor-quality diet that lacks nutritious food has detrimental effects on a person's physical and mental health. Poor nutrition can increase the risk of developing health problems, including diabetes and hypertension. Food insecurity also exacerbates the complex challenges of managing a chronic disease. This is especially true for developing children who need proper nutrition to grow strong and healthy. (Feeding America)
Hunger & education
Though we want to alleviate physical suffering from hunger, we also know that hunger has a direct effect on a child's educational performance and experience. This results in an inability to concentrate, behavioral problems, poor performance in school, and a higher dropout rate. In fact, children facing hunger are twice as likely to repeat a grade in elementary school.
Hunger & poverty
Food insecurity is almost always linked to a more complex cycle of poverty. The issue isn’t that there isn’t enough food to go around; it’s that many families cannot afford food. And when families don’t have the resources to meet their basic needs, they must make very difficult choices between feeding their families and meeting other basic needs.
Because food insecurity negatively impacts a child’s education—and in turn, their future job opportunities—it’s very easy for children to get caught in this cycle of hunger and poverty without intervention.
That’s why it’s so important we act early in a child’s life to end hunger and empower them to thrive in the future.
Through partnerships with local schools, Hungry Souls provides nutritious meals to children in our community who need it most.
When you make sure a child has enough to eat, you provide them with nutrition to grow healthy and strong and resources to focus in school.
And when a child’s needs are met and they know they are loved by God and others, it changes their outlook from one of scarcity to possibility.