Jennifer Cantwell Wood, MPH, RD, LDN
BackPack Beginnings Nutritionist
As we all know, food is one of the essentials of life. Anyone who has ever skipped a meal knows that when you are hungry, it is hard to think of anything else. Sadly, too many children in the US go hungry every day. According to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina, there are 123,900 children in their service area of 18 counties (which includes Guilford County), who are food insecure. This means that they have limited or uncertain access to enough nutritious food to lead active and healthy lives(2); it equates to 26% of children in this area(1). This is a travesty. There is abundant research that shows that food insecurity damages children and hurts their chances for a long and productive life. Research through Children’s Health Watch has clearly shown that children who experience food insecurity are more likely to be in poor health and have a history of hospitalizations2. They have also found that kids who go to school without proper nourishment are at a disadvantage and struggle to keep up with their peers in school(2). At Backpack Beginnings, we are committed to making sure that no kid in Guilford County goes hungry and that all of the children in our community have an equal chance to get the most out of their life no matter what their personal circumstances. We hope you will help.
1. “Map the Meal Gap | Food Insecurity in Your County.” 2013. Feeding America. Accessed August 9. http://feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/hunger-studies/map-the-meal-gap.aspx.
2. “FoodInsecurityBrief6_09.pdf.” 2013. Accessed August 9. http://www.childrenshealthwatch.org/upload/resource/FoodInsecurityBrief6_09.pdf.
Written on 9/16/2013 by Blogger Jennifer Cantwell Wood[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
