More low-income Illinois children are participating in summer meal programs, but there are still nearly 686,000 eligible kids missing out, a new report shows.
About 112,000 low-income Illinois children received summer meals on a daily basis last July, according to the report by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), a national anti-hunger group.
That figure represents a 4.7 percent increase from July 2014, when about 107,000 low-income Illinois children accessed summer meal programs each day.
While advocates are pleased by the 4.7 percent increase, they point out that summer meals are reaching only one in seven low-income Illinois children who need them.
As President Barack Obama gives his fifth State of the Union address Tuesday night, we will provide you with the highlights from the president's speech.
The
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a crucial
anti-hunger and anti-poverty tool, but a handful of reforms are needed
to boost the program's overall effectiveness, argues Diane Whitmore
Schanzenbach, an associate professor at Northwestern University's School
of Education and Social Policy.
About one in eight U.S. families
depend on SNAP benefits, at about $1.40 per meal, for food aid. More
than 2 million people in Illinois rely on the $80-billion-a-year program, which has helped
to reduce hunger and rates of food insecurity in the country, while
also providing support to families who face unexpected economic
setbacks.
In a recent discussion paper for the Hamilton Project,
Schanzenbach noted that despite the program's successes, obesity rates
in the nation are still high, the method of determining food aid
benefits is outdated and SNAP coverage during economic recessions needs
to be improved.
The number of Chicago food deserts, or areas where it's hard to find healthy foods, has dropped by 21 percent over the past two years, according to the mayor's office.
If lawmakers are interested in cutting costs during the
2013 reauthorization of the farm bill, they should reduce wasteful
spending on subsidies that support processed food additives and already
profitable agribusiness corporations, according to members of the
consumer advocacy group, U.S. PIRG.
“The way our subsidies are
distributed right now is a strong example of how skewed our system is,”
said Dani Neuharth-Keusch, assistant community outreach director for Illinois PIRG, who spoke at a press conference Tuesday to release the nationwide research group’s new report, “Apples to Twinkies 2013.”
Federally subsidized crop insurance is intended to help farmers manage
the risk inherent to their business. According to the report, the
current farm bill, enacted in 2008, fails to “appropriately direct
federal dollars” with subsidies that “mirror a pattern of special
interest influence.”
“We need to push back against subsidies
skewed toward big agribusiness and inadequate subsides for fresh
produce,” said Neuharth-Keusch.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel signed on to a letter with 17 other city mayors calling for Congress to consider putting restrictions on soda purchases for those on SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
The Peace Corner Youth Center on Chicago's West Side offers youth a safe and recreational space after school and during the summer. Just before a violent weekend of shootings across the city left eight people dead and more than 40 wounded, Progress Illinois attended the non-profit's open house to learn more about its violence-prevention programs.
About a dozen school lunchroom workers protested outside Chicago
Public Schools’ headquarters today and called on the Board of Education
to phase out its frozen food model and provide healthier meals for
students. Progress Illinois was there for the rally.
More low-income Illinois children are participating in summer meal programs, but there are still nearly 686,000 eligible kids missing out, 
The
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a crucial
anti-hunger and anti-poverty tool, but a handful of reforms are needed
to boost the program's overall effectiveness, argues Diane Whitmore
Schanzenbach, an associate professor at Northwestern University's School
of Education and Social Policy.
If lawmakers are interested in cutting costs during the
2013 reauthorization of the farm bill, they should reduce wasteful
spending on subsidies that support processed food additives and already
profitable agribusiness corporations, according to members of the
consumer advocacy group, 
