Crossing the Aisle to Solve Hunger |
Gregory Rec|Portland Press Herald via Getty Images
Children eat lunch at an elementary school in Buxton, Maine.
For a growing number of Americans, the hallmarks of a middle-class life – buying a house, paying for a college education and securing affordable healthcare – are slipping away.
Today, less than half of voters feel that “having a family” is affordable, and less than 20% find groceries to be affordable, according to a recent New York Times poll. Beyond the headlines and data points, the affordability crisis is showing up in one of the most pressing issues our country is facing: childhood hunger. But we’re not without solutions. Local leaders can come together across party lines to solve a problem.
Today, 1 in 5 kids in the U.S. are living with hunger. In cities like Columbia, South Carolina, where one of us is mayor, that shows up as kids missing meals and parents making impossible trade-offs between buying groceries and paying bills. And as the cost of living creeps up, families across the country are facing the gut punch of devastating cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, our nation’s most powerful anti-hunger tool, that are slated to go into effect in the coming months.
As parents and as leaders – one of a city and the other of a national anti-hunger organization – we know that partisan infighting isn’t an excuse for kids and families to go hungry. Hunger doesn’t see a political party, but it does demand solutions. That’s why Republican and Democratic mayors from cities across the country are stepping up to prove that it is possible to end childhood hunger in our communities. This work is urgent and achievable – and here’s why:
First, investing in proven, effective anti-hunger programs is one of the smartest economic choices cities can make. The consequences of kids not getting consistent access to nutritious meals can endure for a lifetime: Children who experience food insecurity early in life struggle with cognitive development and social development skills, with lasting harmful impacts on their performance in school. Childhood hunger also triggers a toxic stress response that researchers have linked to long-term risks for depression, behavioral and substance use disorders, as well as chronic diseases that can persist into adulthood.
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These setbacks show up in strained health systems that hurt our local and national economies: As many as 4 million people could lose access to SNAP benefits as a result of Congress’ cuts to the program. With 1 in 3 parents living on low incomes already worried about affording food, those cuts will hurt families – and they’ll hurt our local economies, our grocery stores and our farmers.
Second, hunger is a uniquely solvable policy challenge. Anti-hunger advocates and government leaders saw this in action during the COVID-19 pandemic, when expanded SNAP grocery benefits and tax credits helped stabilize families during a moment of crisis. By December 2021, these benefits had lifted 3.7 million children out of poverty. The lesson is clear: When we support child nutrition programs, cities and communities are more resilient. In Columbia, community leaders and city hall teamed up to develop a new public-private partnership with Instacart, offering free grocery delivery to help fill the gap for families living in food deserts – unable to easily access fresh, affordable food. The program has been so successful that it’s been replicated in 10 other cities. What’s holding us back isn’t a lack of ideas, but of political will and sustained investment.
Third, there’s great work already happening across the country that should be carried forward. Together, we are advancing progress through the Mayors Alliance to End Childhood Hunger – an initiative of Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry campaign. This bipartisan coalition of more than 500 mayors is working across party lines to shape and invest in innovative, community-driven solutions to end hunger. Just to name a few examples, alliance mayors in North Carolina successfully advocated for the state to implement a summer grocery benefit for kids when school is out of session. And in New Orleans, the mayor’s office is helping families access SNAP, WIC – the federal supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children – and other benefits at city-run health clinics. Philadelphia and Central Falls, Rhode Island, are expanding locations and outreach efforts for free summer meals programs for kids.
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Share Our Strength is investing in this work because it’s clear that mayors are uniquely qualified to be driving local anti-hunger efforts. We know why: They are in their communities every day, meeting families at the grocery store, at their schools and in their houses of worship. They know how to solve problems because they see them firsthand.
To be sure, local leadership cannot fully offset federal retreat – but they can make significant progress. We see that impact up close, in Columbia and in cities across the country. At every level of leadership – from mayors to business leaders to nonprofit organizations – we must lead by example to show Washington what’s possible when governments and communities work together to improve access to programs that help our kids grow and thrive.
Daniel Rickenmann is the mayor of Columbia, South Carolina. He recently has been named chair of the Mayors Alliance to End Childhood Hunger, an initiative of Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry campaign.
Anne Filipic is the chief executive officer of Share Our Strength, the national nonprofit working to end childhood hunger through the No Kid Hungry campaign.
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Tags: children, children's health, diet and nutrition