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Whatever is important to you - whether it is a thriving workforce, healthy communities, family stability or education - it probably directly intersects with hunger. Hungry people can not learn, earn or be healthy.
In Colorado, hunger is a serious, often invisible issue.
Hunger Free Colorado wants to eliminate this unneccessary problem in our state.
According to 2007 census data, Colorado has 569,386 people living in poverty. Sadly, Colorado has the fastest growing rate of childhood poverty according to Kids Count 2008 with an increase of 84%. Food Banks report record numbers of families coming to receive emergency food at the same time that food donations are decreasing.
Certainly, it is time for change.
Colorado is a state that chronically and drastically underparticipates in federal nutrition programs which have been set up and federally funded to be THE nutrition safety net of our neighbors who struggle to put food on their table.
A LETTER FROM THE FRONTLINES OF CHILDHOOD HUNGER
At our Kaiser Permanente facility, my partner saw a family experiencing a food stamps glitch (not easy to remedy in
Hungry children don’t learn well and experience mental health and behavioral problems. They are often obese because cheap foods are often less nutritious. A 2 Liter bottle of soda costs $0.99; a half gallon of milk is $3.00. Yet, cheap foods shield from feeling hungry. Caregivers typically reduce their intake to help their children, but for the poor, this does not work. The vicious poverty cycle is set into motion as another generation struggles to be healthy, productive and reach their economic potential.
It is morally wrong to have hungry children. Systems such as food stamps, school food programs and summer food programs are available, yet difficult to access. To help eradicate hunger, Kaiser Permanente granted $80,000 to the Colorado Coalition to End Hunger, an organization launched to address this challenge. We need to direct those who are hungry to the systems that support our families.
Sarah VanScoy, MD
Pediatrician, Kaiser Permanente