After-school suppers target child hunger

Albuquerque Journal

After-school suppers target child hunger

By May Sagbakken / Executive Director, New Mexico Out-of-school Time Network, Kaski Suzuki / Meals Vista, New Mexico Out-of-school Time Network, And Elisa Morales / Healthy Kids Director, United Way Of El Paso County

Data shows that one in every four children throughout New Mexico are food insecure – that’s approximately 130,000 children who are unsure where their next meal is coming from.
Breaks from school and out-of-school time present challenges for many families with low income who rely on meals provided at school. This is a serious issue – children require good nutrition for optimal growth and development, readiness to learn and school performance. When it comes to hunger, even when we control for the effects of factors correlated with poverty, food-insecure children are more likely than food-secure children to face health problems such as anemia, lower nutrient intake, cognitive problems and so on.  Read more...