According to data from the US Census Bureau and the Department of Agriculture, at least 17% of children across America are at risk of hunger. Children who don't get proper nutrition while they are growing may later have developmental, behavioural or school problems. As children are the future, it is important to watch over their physical and mental growth.
Thousands of children go hungry every day across the United States. The government supports a daily meals programme for schoolchildren, but it doesn't cover children under six who haven't started school yet. A group that fights hunger found that 11% of American children are threatened by hunger, and that in 11 states more than 20% of children go hungry.
Dr John Cook of Boston Medical Center, who reported these findings, said the hunger is mainly due to two factors: the economy and unemployment, and the provision of food and assistance programmes. The data were collected during a period of economic growth, which means the situation has probably got worse as the economic crisis has deepened.
Studies like this encourage Americans to give to local charities rather than to the developing world: the figure of 12 million children going hungry every day in America changes the balance of many charitable projects.
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