Lowey and Food Bank for Westchester Highlight the Problem of Childhood Hunger During the Summer
Families in need struggle to provide additional meals for young children when school is out, stretching budgets to a breaking point
66,000 children in Westchester County are food insecure, including 25,000 students who receive free or reduced lunch when school is in session
Lowey is fighting to protect federal programs that help feed children during the hungriest months of the year
ELMSFORD, NY – Congresswoman Nita Lowey (Westchester/Rockland), the Ranking Member on the House Appropriations Committee, today was joined by Food Bank for Westchester (FB4W) President and CEO Ellen Lynch, Superintendent of Ossining Union Free School District Raymond Sanchez, and Ridgeway Alliance Church’s Jeff Meyer as well as FB4W volunteers to highlight the problem of childhood hunger during the summer.
“Hunger doesn’t stop at the end of the school year,” said Lowey. “Students in Westchester who rely on free or reduced price meals are threatened with food insecurity over the summer. We need to do all we can to call attention to this problem and help organizations like the Food Bank for Westchester feed children during the hungriest months of the year. As Ranking Member on the House Appropriations Committee, I will do everything I can to reduce childhood hunger and ensure that children are able to eat nutritious meals year-round.”
According to FB4W, approximately 200,000 people are at risk of hunger or are facing food insecurity in Westchester County, including 66,000 children. Families already battling through uncertainty also struggle to provide additional meals for their young children during the summer, when meals for 25,000 school children disappear. Absence of these meals served during the school year, combined with the need for additional childcare coverage, can stretch budgets to a breaking point.
Nationally, more than 21 million children rely on free or reduced price meals on a given school day, but only 3.7 million children receive meals when school is not in session, meaning roughly 80 percent of kids who rely on school meals are threatened with hunger over the summer.
Lowey is fighting to protect child nutrition programs threatened by budget cuts in the Fiscal Year 2016 Agriculture spending bill currently making its way through the House of Representatives. The bill would cut the National School Lunch program and equipment grants for schools. The Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) pilot program, which helps families with children who qualify to receive free or reduced price meals to purchase healthy food during the summer months, is also threatened. Right now, the spending bill would cut the Summer EBT from $16 million to $12 million, well below the President’s request of $67 million.
Tomorrow (Wednesday, July 8, 2015), Lowey will offer an amendment to increase the investment in the Summer EBT program to reach up to 200,000 families next summer.
“One in five people in Westchester County are food insecure and 33 percent of those people are children,” said Ellen Lynch, President and CEO of the Food Bank for Westchester. “We are grateful for Congresswoman Lowey’s efforts to get funding to support children’s feeding programs when the school year ends. With the Congresswoman’s help, we look forward to expanding our summer feeding programs and getting more of our children the nutritious food they need and deserve.”
“The statistics around childhood hunger are staggering. It's heartbreaking to know that 66,000 children suffer from hunger right here in Westchester County today and a total of 200,000 of our neighbors may not know where their next meal will come from. It's critically important that we do all we can to raise awareness and tackle this problem. I'm very thankful to Congresswoman Lowey for her leadership on this issue and to the Food Bank for Westchester for their significant efforts to eradicate childhood hunger,” said Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the Democratic Conference Leader.
The Food Bank for Westchester’s mission is to lead, engage and educate the Westchester community in creating a hunger-free environment. FB4W acquires, warehouses, and distributes food to over 265 front-line hunger-relief programs throughout the county, including food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, senior facilities and child care centers, distributing roughly 14 tons of food a day.
In Congress, Lowey has supported healthier school meals and voted against cuts to food assistance for those in need. She is fighting for additional investments in nutrition and wellness initiatives in her role as the Ranking Member on the House Appropriations Committee.
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