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Ending Childhood Hunger in Washington:. Every child in every corner of the state gets 3 nutritious meals every day. Childhood hunger is caused by poverty. This is what Washington’s child poverty rates look like in our communities:. Food Insecurity:.
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Ending Childhood Hunger in Washington: Every child in every corner of the state gets 3 nutritious meals every day.
Childhood hunger is caused by poverty. This is what Washington’s child poverty rates look like in our communities:
Food Insecurity: Households that are financially stretched to the point where they cannot be certain that all household members will not go hungry.
Women, Infant and Children (WIC) Program WIC provides health care and food assistance to: • low-income pregnant, post-partum and breastfeeding women • low-income children up to age 5. WIC’s definition of “low income” is: Income up to 185% of federal poverty level (approx. $38,000/year for a family of 4).
Child & Adult Care Food Program (CACFP): A federally-funded program that reimburses the cost of food in eligible child care programs (including after-school programs).
CACFP Participation in WA: CACFP is 4,607 child care sites (home- & center-based) participate in CACFP. Average daily participation in 2006: • 24,774 children in home-based care (down 9% over 10 yrs) • 50,126 children in center-based care (up 93%).
CACFP & After-School Snack 2007 Participation in CACFP (by county): • Snohomish has the largest number of participating sites (1,154) • Yakima is next largest (710) • Four counties have onlyone participating site. 413 schools provided snacks through the federal snack program.
School Meals Schools can provide children up to 2 meals and a snack every school day. Only 20 school districts in the state offer that.
School Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Snack Washington has: 289 school districts – with 1,989 schools • 99.5% schools provide lunch • 91.3% schools provide breakfast • 413 schools provided snacks
School Meals (cont’d) All low-income students in WA are eligible for a free school breakfast. Low-income K-3rd graders are eligible for a free lunch. After 3rd grade, students are eligible for a free or a reduced price lunch, depending on family income. In some school districts, 98% of all students qualify for free or reduced price meals.
The Summer Meals Program: A federally-funded program that reimburses the cost of meals served to low-income children through the summer months. Counties, cities, schools and community-based organizations can host summer meals. In 2006, 1,051,308 summer lunches were served.
Food Stamp Program in WA is the “Basic Food Program”: A federally-funded program for low-income individuals and families that provides money to spend on food. It is the largest food assistance program in the U.S. and in Washington.
Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC):A tax credit that provides cash back to low-income people
Fresh Fruits & Vegetables The USDA recommends up to 9 daily servings of fruits and vegetables for a healthy diet. “More Matters” is the new public awareness campaign. Yet these healthy foods are less affordable for low-income people: prices for produce have risen sharply, while prices for highly-processed, high-fat foods have dropped.
WIC & Local Farmers’ Markets: WIC vouchers allow low-income families to buy some fresh produce
Fresh Fruits & Vegetables • There are also programs - like USDA’s “Fresh Fruit & Veggie” pilot, community gardening, or connecting local farms to community institutions – which provide fresh produce for low-income people, including children. • New changes in WIC will also provide more fruit and vegetables for families.
Food Banks and Meal Programs: These programs provide food bags or meals on a periodic basis in communities across the state. They are private, nonprofit or tribal programs. Many receive public (state & federal) funds, as well as private support.
