1 in 5 New York City Children Live in Homes Without Enough Food
Did you know that one in five children in New York City live in food-insecure households? That means that more than 400,000 children live in homes that can't afford all the food they need, according to recent U.S. Census Bureau and Department of Agriculture data calculated by the Coalition Against Hunger.
A food insecure household is a home in which families have to make impossible decisions about whether to pay for rent, utilities, medical care – or food. Often these parents will cut back on their own consumption to feed their children, or else buy the cheapest food available, even if this is likely to cause health problems down the line.
Sometimes these children simply go to bed hungry.
The good news is that child hunger can be virtually eliminated in New York City through better use of existing federal nutrition programs like Food Stamps, WIC, School Meals and Summer Meals. In NYC schools for instance, only 20% of the students who need free school breakfast receive it.
