New Study: Over 80,000 East Texas Children at Risk of Hunger

TYLER – The East Texas Food Bank and Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger relief organization, have released a new study which reveals in 26 East Texas counties, 27 percent of children — that’s over 80,000 — under the age of 18 are struggling with hunger. The study, “Map the Meal Gap: Child Food Insecurity 2011”, also reveals that there are children struggling with hunger in every county in America. Nationally, while one in six Americans overall are food insecure, the rate for children is much higher: nearly one in four children are food insecure.

“The study is an important tool because it provides critical information for developing strategies to alleviating child hunger,” said Dennis Cullinane, executive Director of the East Texas Food Bank. “This study will allow us to target those East Texas counties that have a high child food insecurity rates and a lack of participation in our Child Hunger Programs, such as: the BackPack Program, Summer Food Service Program, Kids Cafe and After School Snack Program.”

Key points of the study:

o 27 percent of East Texas children are food insecure.

o Of the 80,000 children who are food insecure, 78 percent of the children in East Texas are eligible for assistance from federal nutrition programs like Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), free or reduced-price school meals, and others.

o Of the 80,000 children who are food insecure, 22 percent of children in East Texas are not eligible for assistance from federal nutrition programs like Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), free or reduced-price school meals, and others.

The research is supported by ConAgra Foods Foundation. Go to http://www.feedingamerica.org/mapthegap/childsummary to find an executive summary of the report.