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Feeding hungry minds and bodies®
by working with legislators, policy makers and hunger advocates.
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 One in six
Ohio children is hungry or at risk of hunger. With poverty rates consistently on the rise, that startling statistic
is unlikely to change. However, with the support of state leaders and elected officials, we can shift public understanding
of childhood hunger and implement long-term solutions to make sure all children are well-nourished, healthy and thrive.
By working with and educating elected officials, policy makers and their constituents, we:
- Ensure state leaders are aware of the impact hunger has on the children in their district and economic future of the communities
they serve.
- Encourage state and federal leaders to implement policies to expand access to food, nutrition education
and quality child care.
- Raise awareness of hunger trends, issues and progress through legislative briefings, community meetings,
and newsletters.
- Issue the annul Hunger Report to share facts about childhood hunger in Ohio and make policy recommensations on how to curtail it.
By empowering state leaders and elected officials with the knowledge they need to understand childhood hunger,
everyone wins:
- Children get the healthy start they deserve and receive the food, nutrition and quality child care
they need to learn and thrive.
- Parents stretch their family's food dollars further, because their children have access to no- or low-cost food
during and after school (and during the summer months, too).
- Local and state economies are bolstered by federal funds brought back to Ohio to feed local children.
- Ohioans win because healthy children are more likely to grow into healthy, productive adults who
will increase workforce quality and help our state attract and retain higher paying jobs.
- Children’s Hunger Alliance receives the support it needs to sustain and improve its efforts to end
childhood hunger.
There are two basic premises that lay the foundation for Public Policy at Children's Hunger Alliance
• There is enough food to feed everyone. In a land of unparalleled wealth and abundance, we have the resources
to eliminate hunger.
• Federal programs exist to combat hunger but are not being fully utilized by eligible families.
 Feeding
hungry minds and bodies® has a two-fold economic impact on Ohio. The immediate impact is from entitlement dollars
for School Lunch and Breakfast Programs, Child and Adult Care Food Programs, Food Stamp Program, and the Special Supplement Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Each of these
programs bring Ohio s Federal dollars back to Ohio that are spent in each local community. By making families aware
of their eligibility for these various programs, we can bring tens of millions of our tax dollars back to Ohio.
By fully utilizing these programs, the hundreds of thousands of children in Ohio at risk of hunger, won't go
hungry. Regular, healthy eating leads to better school attendance, better behavior in school, better grades and
ultimately, a better educated workforce. The long term economic impact comes from having a better educated workforce,
drawing higher paying jobs to Ohio and generating food security for the next generation.
 The Public
Policy team at Children's Hunger Alliance strives to accomplish this in two ways. The department also works in communities across the state to increase awareness of federal programs
and family eligibility.
The Public Policy Department advocates to the legislature and
policymakers on behalf of Children'sHunger Alliance and the families we serve. This is accomplished through briefings
at the Statehouse, direct phone calls, and direct mail. Public Policy staff tracks proposed legislation and rule changes and analyzes the impact of these
changes on hunger in Ohio.
To continue Feeding hungry minds and bodies®, we must continue to work with policymakers
to support federal programs that make nutritious foods available to families in need while we work to break the
cycle of childhood hunger.
Children's Hunger Alliance is a United Way
Public Policy Partner.
For more information, call 614-341-7700, ext. 230 or e-mail.
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