The Children's Alliance report "Hungry in Washington" was released Nov. 14th. The report shows that Washington has made a lot of progress in addressing hunger over the past seven years. At the same time, more work needs to be done.
The report states that:
"Washington’s food insecurity and hunger rates improved for the second year in a row, thanks to efforts to expand access to key anti-hunger programs such as food stamps and school meals. However, 88,000 Washington households went hungry in 2006 despite the progress made and 251,000 were stretched so close to the edge financially that they couldn’t be sure they’d have money to put food on the table every day."
Citing cuts made as part of welfare reform legislation in 1996, the report finds that in 2007 an average family receives $400 less in benefits per year than they would have if 1996 cuts had not been made. The report is a call to action for a greater federal investment in the Food Stamp Program, which it calls the "cornerstone of America's effort to fight domestic hunger".
The U.S. Senate is currently debating the 2007 Farm Bill, which will determine the level of funding for the Food Stamp Program.
Read more of Hungry In Washington. And if you aren't yet a member of the Children's Action Network, sign up now for alerts and get ready to take action to end childhood hunger.
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