Hunger Games: 'We Can't Food Stamp Our Way Out'

DES MOINES, Iowa - Summer is a time for ice cream and dips in the pool. But for millions of American children, these days are far from carefree. When school lets out, hunger can become a reality.

"For every seven kids getting a free or reduced lunch, only about one gets a meal during the summer. So that's a huge gap in terms of participation," said Christine Melendez, with Bread for the World, a D.C.-based hunger advocacy group.

Parents must find creative ways to fill that gap.

"When you think about a family's budget in general, you have your rent or your mortgage; you have your utilities, and your transportation costs. These are fixed costs," Melendez explained.

"You can't tell your landlord, 'I'm only going to give you 75 percent of your rent this month.' A food budget is one of the more flexible parts of the budget," he said.

It's a reality that leaves parents with a difficult question: pay bills or cut back on groceries? Many turn to the government, which provides a lot of food but leaves some big gaps.

Rural Children Left Behind

According to Bread for the World, the United States fills about 19 of every 20 food bags going to needy families. While its summer meal programs reach a lot of city kids, it can leave children in rural areas behind.

A recent White House report reveals 1.5 million rural children live in poverty.

Case in point: Iowa. It's the middle of the nation's bread basket where 1 in 5 children often goes hungry.

Meet Susan Bunz. She's entering the battle against hunger without government assistance through Meals from the Heartland.

"We can have 120 people in here at a time packaging meals. We generally figure that a group of 10 can package 2,000 meals an hour," Bunz said.

Many of those meals are needed right here in Iowa, a fact that surprises outsiders.

"There are these gaps and holes, just like any other place, where there is a need for food that isn't being met," Meals from the Heartland Chairman Jerry Armstrong said. "Why it happens or how you correct it, I'm not sure. Our problem is there are kids and adults and elderly. We leave out the elderly a lot that need meals."

Getting those meals into hungry bellies takes a team effort. First stop is a supply place like the Food Bank of Iowa.
 
"Our clients are definitely working. Sixty percent work full time, and of that 60 percent, 90 percent work over 40 hours," Food Bank of Iowa's Christina Zink told CBN News.

"Hunger doesn't discriminate," she added. "It really only takes one instance to put you at risk. It can be a car repair, a medical emergency, the loss of a job. It's really not just in the metro area. We have a large group in the rural areas we are trying to reach out to."

Through a new initiative, the Food Bank of Iowa focuses on getting food to some of those rural areas. Zink said partnering with Christian organizations and other agencies helps get food across the state.

"It's definitely important for organizations like the food bank and our partner agencies and our program partners; we really couldn't do it without them," she said.

"It really does take a community and without some of the government support that is on the line right now, it will take even more of that effort of individual and corporate support to help us feed people," Zink reiterated.

Effort that comes from groups like CBN's Operation Blessing. The Operation Blessing Hunger Strike Force has a fleet of trucks that distributes food and supplies to needy people.

Last year, they delivered  64 million pounds of food and supplies to community based partners. These partners then work with local food pantries to help get food to hungry families.

What's the Solution?

Even with Christian groups and the U.S. government leading the way, the need remains.

"We can't food stamp our way out of hunger and we can't food bank our way out of hunger. We aren't going to end hunger until we address those root causes - why is it that families are hungry?" Melendez said.

It's a question that has yet to be answered and a reminder that childhood hunger can affect anyone, anywhere, and will take everyone's help to solve.

For more information on Summer Meals near you, text "Food" or "Comida" to 877877. CBN's Operation Blessing is also working to combat hunger. To find out how you can help, visit their website.