No summer break for hunger
From the League’s First Tuesday newsletter
It’s summertime and the living is easy, unless, of course, you’re dealing with hunger.
As many of us gather with friends and families for barbecues and picnics, it’s worth remembering that Michigan kids who rely on school-based food programs are at risk of falling through the cracks during the summer break.
As Kids Count in Michigan notes (pdf), nearly one in every two school-age children qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, based on family income. It’s a telling statistic about what has happened to families during this economic downturn, rising from 36 percent of children in 2006 to 46 percent in 2009.
The school delivery system (pdf) that serves up nutrition to these children is a vital lifeline for much of the year, but it is on hiatus through the warm months. However, the League’s Tax Dollars at Work (pdf) reports that we are making progress in ensuring children have proper nutrition through the summer. In Fiscal Year 2009, more than $7 million was distributed, up from just $4 million in 2005 (pdf). The report shows, though, that there was no summer feeding program for children at all in 19 counties. (For a list of current sites, click here.)
Besides the summer food program, the recently released Tax Dollars at Work report details trends in other programs, including the Food Assistance Program and Medicaid. It’s vital information for communities, nonprofits and elected officials to have. It not only tells you how much is spent but how many are served by the selected social programs in your county.
We’ve also been busy working with New York-based Demos on releasing two reports regarding the endangered middle class in Michigan:Building Michigan’s Future Middle Class (pdf) and The State of Michigan’s Middle Class. The future middle class was the subject of the League’s June 16 policy forum on young adults that featured a dynamic quartet of speakers.
So, please, as you enjoy your summertime rituals, don’t forget about the disadvantaged people in our state. There is so much work to be done to make sure our schoolchildren and our young adults have the opportunity to thrive in our beautiful state.
– Gilda Z. Jacobs
