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 Childhood
hunger in Ohio is real, alive and growing. This is hard to believe when we live in a wealthy nation where many
never worry about where their next meal will come from. Sadly, this isn't the case for many Ohio families and children.
In fact, in 1005 12.6 percent of Ohio’s households were considered food insecure due to lack of resources -- and
increase of over two percent since the beginning of the decade*. Therefore, you
need not look far to see the silent and devastating consequences of hunger -- it’s in your community impacting
our children’s ability to live healthy, happy and productive lives. That is why we, at Children’s Hunger Alliance,
work with you to ensure that no child is hungry.
Feeding hungry minds and bodies® is a simple, yet powerful philosophy. It encompasses
our vision that ALL Ohio children will thrive because Children's Hunger Alliance's leadership and dedication to
expanding access to food, nutrition education and quality child care. To achieve this vision, Children's Hunger
Alliance must work to break the cycle of hunger through education, leadership, advocacy and service.
Fortunately, by working together, we can fight childhood hunger in Ohio and ensure that every child is provided
with the healthy, nutritious meals they deserve. Through your commitment and the dedication of hunger advocates
such as Children’s Hunger Alliance, we can accomplish this goal. In fact, thanks to your unwavering support, we
have made tremendous strides over the past few years:
- 72,678 more students are now participating in School Breakfast
- 56,722 more students in School Lunch
- 43 million more School Breakfast, Lunch and Summer Meals have been served
- $104 million new USDA dollars to Ohio schools for food for kids
- $1 million new dollars for the Ohio Department of Education to pay state administrative funds
While much progress has been made, there is still work to be done to fully deploy the federal food nutrition
programs available (although woefully underutilized) by Ohio’s children. Therefore, I encourage you to read this
report and further educate yourself on childhood hunger and how it impacts the members of your community. By partnering
in the fight against childhood hunger, we can ensure that Ohio is a state where no child is hungry.
Sincerely,
William J. Dolan
Chief Executive Office
Children's Hunger Alliance
* Latest data that is available.
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