- Fewer hungry children getting free summer meals, By Mary Clare Jalonick (AP), June 29, 2010, Washington Post: “Hungry children looking for a free meal this summer may not be able to find one. States and cities have cut funding for summer meal programs as need has skyrocketed, according to a new report from an anti-hunger group that tracked the program in 2009. Budget woes that have left many families hungry are also affecting local governments that find themselves without the needed dollars to feed children while they are out of school. ‘Low-income children across the country clearly bore the brunt of budget cuts,’ said Jim Weill, president of the Food Research and Action Center, which compiled the report released Tuesday. Summer nutrition programs aim to feed children who get most of their nutrition – or sometimes their only real meal of the day – at school. The food research group measures the effectiveness of those summer programs by comparing the number of low-income children receiving meals during the summer with those receiving free and reduced-price school meals during the school year…”
- Study: Fewer low-income kids getting summer school meals, June 29, 2010, CNN.com: “Many summer food programs have been slashed during the recession leaving low-income children with fewer options, a report by the Food Research and Action Center said Tuesday. The budget cuts reduced participation in summer school food programs across the nation over the past years, the anti-hunger group said. This drop in participation comes at a time when more and more families need these food programs, the Center said…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty