County’s hungry kids shouldn’t go unnoticed

You won’t see them standing in line outside Snohomish County food banks. You rarely pass them on an Everett street corner asking for spare change. And you won’t catch them at work, logging long hours for short money, scrambling to keep food on the table.

But area children are going hungry, and they need help.

“When you say ‘food bank’ or ‘hunger’ the image that comes to your mind is homeless adults, street people,” said Shelley Rotondo of Northwest Harvest.

In fact, hungry kids face unique challenges and battle long-term effects well into adulthood.

Today is National Hunger Awareness Day and relief organizations are experiencing a summer-time donation drought. Unfortunately, hunger knows no off-season.

“People are just as hungry in July as in September,” said Paul Challancin of the Sky Valley Food Bank in Monroe.

Summer can be hard on hungry families for other reasons. During the school year, many hungry kids rely on free breakfast and/or lunch. But meal programs receive less funding during the summer months. Vacation daycare costs cut into budgets and gas prices are hitting low-income families hard.

Children account for 24 percent of Snohomish County’s population, but they are disproportionally affected by hunger. Roughly 60 percent of the 35,000 county residents receiving relief from Volunteers of America are children. Last year the U.S. Department of Agriculture ranked Washington the nation’s 12th hungriest state, with 4.3 percent of all households experiencing hunger due to a lack of financial resources.

Hungry children aren’t in control. They don’t have money, can’t earn any and often haven’t a clue about nutrition. Furthermore, hungry kids often go unnoticed.

“When a child loses weight the last place it shows is their face,” Rotondo said. “Whether they’re aware or not, everyone knows a hungry child.”

Hungry kids experience short-term trauma like stomach pain and stress. But it gets worse. Adults who live through childhood hunger are prone to health problems including headaches and colds. They’re more likely to develop depression and anxiety.

Hunger is linked to academic performance as well. Diminished cognitive development, lack of concentration and absenteeism are all results of hunger. Hungry children don’t learn effectively.

School programs help. This year the Legislature enacted three school-lunch recommendations outlined in a Children’s Alliance policy paper. Moreover, the USDA recently approved Washington for a simplified summer feeding program that reimburses schools at a flat rate for each meal served and reduces administrative hassle.

Nevertheless, people must get involved. This summer, as you drag out the grill and fire up a few backyard burgers, remember the children in your own community who go without meals every day.

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