Study shows more than 20 percent of region’s children at risk of hunger

CHICAGO – A new study shows between one-fifth and
one-quarter of Northern Colorado’s children under the age of 18 are struggling
with hunger.

The study, called “Map the Meal Gap 2011: Food
Insecurity Estimates at the County Level,” found 20.5 percent of children
in Larimer County and 25.1 percent of children in Weld County were food
insecure, meaning they lacked regular access to adequate amounts of nutritious
food. The number of food-insecure children in the entire Fourth Congressional
District was 41,730, or 24.1 percent of the total population under the age of
18, according to the study. The food insecurity rate for the overall population
in the district was 15.6 percent.

The research, supported by the Howard G. Buffett
Foundation, was based on the national 2009 Current Population and American Community
surveys and US Bureau of Labor Statistics unemployment figures.

“Map the Meal Gap” also reveals that there are
children struggling with hunger in every county in the United States.
Nationwide, one in six people is food insecure, but the rate for children in
higher, at one in four.

This is the first time food insecurity information has
been available at the county level, which will help local food banks plan for
anticipated demand for services.

“For the first time ever, this study reveals
significant data about children living in Larimer County who are at risk for
hunger,´ said Amy Pezzani, executive director of the Food Bank for Larimer
County. “With over 20 percent of children in our community not knowing
where their next meal will come from, the Food Bank for Larimer County is
working hard to address this gap through its expanding child nutrition programs
including Kids Café and Snack programs, Backpack, and Kids Link.”

This summer, 30,551 meals were distributed to eight Kids
Café sites in Larimer County, 1,538 snacks were distributed at various
locations and more than 1,850 backpacks were filled with nonperishable food,
according to FBLC.