Child Hunger Facts
What happens when a child faces hunger?
Kids who don’t get enough to eat — especially during their first three years — begin life at a serious disadvantage. When they’re hungry, children are more likely to be hospitalized and they face higher risks of health conditions like anemia and asthma. And as they grow up, kids struggling to get enough to eat are more likely to have problems in school and other social situations.
Repeat a grade in elementary school
Experience developmental impairments in areas like language and motor skills
Have more social and behavioral problems
Children struggling with hunger come from families who are struggling, too
Children facing hunger often grow up in a family where a parent or parents also face hunger.
- A family of four facing hunger may be in need of 36 additional meals a month simply because they don’t have money to buy enough food.
- 84% of households Feeding America serves report buying the cheapest food — instead of healthy food — in order to provide enough to eat.
- 21% of children in households at risk of hunger may be forced to rely exclusively on charitable organizations like Feeding America to make ends meet.
You help us keep children healthy every single day
The Feeding America network serves more than 12 million children in America. In addition to accessing food through traditional food pantries, the Feeding America network also offers specialized programs to help kids get the food they need when they need it most.
Setting up children for a lifetime of success
We have a responsibility to the next generation to give them every opportunity to succeed — which in turn will strengthen our communities and our country. That’s why feeding children facing hunger is a main priority of Feeding America, but we can’t do it without your help.
Give to Feeding America today
For every dollar donated, the Feeding America network of food banks secures and distributes 10 meals to people facing hunger — including children like Zoey.