Title
Authorizing the Committee on Children and Youth to hold public hearings examining the prevalence of child hunger in Philadelphia and evaluating the efficacy of existing programs addressing child hunger.
Body
WHEREAS, The USDA defines food insecurity as a lack of consistent access to the level of food necessary to live a healthy and active life. According to the Philadelphia Food Policy Advisory Council, in 2016, 21.7 percent of all children living in Philadelphia faced food insecurity. This amounts to 75,140 children dealing with food insecurity; and
WHEREAS, The impacts of child hunger are significant, and include poor health, risk for developmental delays, emotional distress, psychosocial and behavioral problems, and lower academic performance. More specifically, hungry children do more poorly in school and are 50 percent more likely to repeat a grade, twice as likely to require special education, 60 percent more likely to miss school, and twice as likely to be suspended; and
WHEREAS, The health and special education related costs of food insecurity for households with young children in the U.S. were estimated to total more than $1.2 billion in 2015. The high rate of food insecurity drains resources from families, communities, and the larger U.S. economy; and
WHEREAS, While charitable organizations play a key role in securing adequate food for families, Federal programs make up the bulk of nutritional assistance. A number of these operate in the City with the express goal of lessening the impact of food insecurity, including school lunch and breakfast programs, Summer Meals, the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), the Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC), and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); and
WHEREAS, These Federal programs nevertheless require significant participation from City and nongovernmental agencies. For example, while funding for the Summer Meals programs comes from the Federal governme...
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