Facing Hunger Foodbank and Sheetz for the Kidz distributed food boxes to children participating in the Huntington YMCA’s after school program in 2021 in Huntington. State officials, concerned that too many children don’t have enough food at home, are working on plans to ensure all West Virginia children are fed.
Village of Barboursville Elementary cooks serve breakfast for lunch in celebration of National School Breakfast Week on Thursday, March 5, 2020. State officials are concerned that too many West Virginia children don’t have enough food at home, so they are working on plans to correct that problem.
Facing Hunger Foodbank and Sheetz for the Kidz distributed food boxes to children participating in the Huntington YMCA’s after school program in 2021 in Huntington. State officials, concerned that too many children don’t have enough food at home, are working on plans to ensure all West Virginia children are fed.
Village of Barboursville Elementary cooks serve breakfast for lunch in celebration of National School Breakfast Week on Thursday, March 5, 2020. State officials are concerned that too many West Virginia children don’t have enough food at home, so they are working on plans to correct that problem.
Are a large number of West Virginia families unable or unwilling to provide enough food for their children? Apparently the West Virginia Legislature and the state Department of Education think so. If they’re correct, it’s a terrible, terrible shame upon the state.
Last week the state Senate passed a bill to comprehensively address food insecurity among West Virginia’s youth. As noted by HD Media reporter Josh Ewers, Senate Bill 306’s passage supplements existing federal efforts by empowering county boards of education to locate, participate in and initialize their own meal programs and requires them to take a more active role in understanding food insecurity dynamics in their areas.
According to Feeding America, 1 in 6 West Virginia children face hunger. According to the state Department of Education, 78% of all public school students in the state depend on free and reduced-cost lunches during the school year.
SB 306 authorizes, but does not require, every county school board to utilize their own resources to supplement federal programs by providing or fund meals, not only during the summer, but also during other non-instructional days throughout the school year.
“Childhood hunger is very real in America and it’s certainly very real in West Virginia,” said bill sponsor Sen. Mike Woelfel, D-Cabell. “What we’ve run into in the actual practice of this is that certain areas are full of nonprofits and good-hearted people that are out there making sure our kids are fed in the summer.
“But there are pockets of the state that are still underserved, and those little guys go hungry in the summer.”
You can attribute it to poverty or neglect or other causes, but the situation remains unchanged: Too many children are hungry.
Also last week, the Department of Education said it is seeking partnerships with organizations across the state to help feed children and provide supervised activities this summer. Feeding sites can include schools, churches, community centers, pools, parks, libraries, housing complexes and summer camps.
“Supporting summer feeding sites in your community is one of the most important things you can do to ensure no child goes hungry this summer,” state Superintendent David L. Roach said in a news release. “Children require consistent, good-quality nutrition for the development of their minds and bodies. We want to make certain every child returns to the classroom in the fall ready to learn.”
It would be good if people could grow some of their own food and prepare it. That’s how our ancestors got through the Depression and World War II. But that option is less viable now than it was then. It could be feasible in some places, but it can’t be relied upon as a solution, at least not at this time. The school system is the best equipped to address the situation on a large scale. It will need community support, however.
At the other end of the age spectrum, the state’s older population benefits from a number of senior citizens centers and other programs to ensure they have enough food to get through the week. Should our youngest and most vulnerable residents be any less secure when it comes to food?
