What is childhood
food insecurity?
Poverty
Are children really hungry in zip code 45225?
Surveys, demographic analysis and the experience of our directors and others who provide services in this zip code confirm childhood food insecurity in 45225 in spite of all current government, school, nonprofit and business efforts.*
Surely a mother’s top priority is to provide food for her children?
Yes and no. Even a top priority cannot be covered if all the money is gone because of the normal crises associated with poverty – paying the utility bill, getting less overtime at work, taking a cab to the hospital with a sick child and no access to a car.
What about Food Stamps?
Unfortuately, sampling by Job and Family Services shows that ninety percent of a month's Food Stamp benefits are typically spent within three days.
Also, anecdotal evidence shows that Food Stamp benefits are often 'flipped' for cash.
Why don’t kids eat at a soup kitchen?
There is no soup kitchen in 45225. Some churches have food available on Sundays but only a few dozen children use this option.
Does hunger lead to crime?
A veteran police officer explained how a drug dealer is on the lookout for a 13-year-old boy in a family that’s going through a tough time. The drug dealer takes the kid out for a meal, buys another meal or sneakers, and then says, “Give this packet to the driver of that green SUV.” This is the completion of a drug transaction. The money changed hands earlier when the dealer had no drugs on him. If someone gets arrested it will be the kid – but not much happens to a 13-year-old and chances are good he will end up in the same neighborhood and continue to learn his new trade.
What if a teen girl is found to be attractive by an older man?
We are encountering an increasing number of teenage girls who seem lost, often at the mercy of abusive and drug-using boyfriends.
A pregnant teen came to one of our community centers without maternity clothing, her belly hanging out, wearing slippers to walk to a Thanksgiving Basket sign-up on a cold November day. She most likely dropped out of school and is now under the control of a boyfriend. There are no parents to protect her. At this point she is likely depressed and believes that she has no way out.
What happens if there is no food?
All evidence points to hunger becoming an incentive for children to "stop being a charity case" and align themselves with drug dealers or men friends. These "solutions" lead to stealing, gang formation, drug trade jobs and the birth of children who will be hungry and decide to "stop being a charity case."
What is the focus of Childhood Food Solutions?
Our focus is on finding food solutions for school-age kids, many of whom live in households with drug users and are headed for a life similar to the pregnant teen.
We believe that childhood food insecurity is a significant contributor to crime, drug use, depression and prostitution in 45225. Food is the most basic daily human need but this need is not being addressed as an everyday need by current government, school and church programs. Is it any wonder that 12 and 13-year-olds would use their resourcefulness to seek their own way out of hunger through sexual favors, shoplifting, drugs and prostitution?
* Survey Data: Based on the 2007 Hormel Hunger Survey, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital surveys and demographic information, about 35,000 children in Hamilton County are food-insecure. Many surveys underestimate the extent of childhood food insecurity because mothers do not admit to having hungry children for fear they will be removed from them and children are rarely willing to tell about their hunger for fear of being taken from the only home they know.
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© 2008-2010 Childhood Food Solutions
Childhood Food Solutions is a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit, 2573 Saint Leo Place, Cincinnait, Ohio 45225