Social Justice Task Force of the month: Hunger and Homelessness
Childhood Hunger in Monroe County
by Mary Blizzard
Several years ago, I was fortunate enough to be a teacher’s aide in a second-grade class at Fairview Elementary School in Bloomington. There was a tiny boy in the class, whom I must admit I rather favored, who came in one morning completely downtrodden and unresponsive to my usual cheery “Good Morning”. I asked him what was the matter to which he had no response. I asked him several other questions, like “Did you have a good night’s sleep, did you fight with your brother?” No response. Then, I asked him if he was hungry to which he slowly nodded yes. I was able to secure him some crackers and peanut butter, and within fifteen minutes, he became a different child, happy and ready to engage.
Hungry children are present in Monroe County.
In 2021, as the economy reeled from the pandemic, a one-year expansion of the child tax credit (CTC) led to a historic 46% decline in the U.S. child poverty rate. It dropped from 9.7% to 5.2%.
With the end of CTC in September of this year, new census data shows a dramatic reversal, with the rate of children in poverty skyrocketing to 12.4% in 2022. That’s higher than pre-pandemic levels.
In Monroe County:
- Almost 31% (4,358) of MCCSC children qualify for free and reduced meals at schools.
- 228 children are homeless or in unstable housing conditions.
- 16% of Monroe County children are food insecure.
Our UU Hunger Task Force fights hunger in many ways, but our two projects that impact local children and hunger the most are the MCUM (Monroe County United Ministries) Holiday Food Baskets and our Little Free Pantry. Starting in November we will be holding our annual MCUM Holiday Food Basket Drive which particularly targets families of children that attend MCUM’s preschool program. You may sign up as an individual, a family, or a group on the signup sheets in the church hallway. This event directly impacts local childhood hunger, especially around the holidays when most of us have far too much to eat.
If the expense of a MCUM Holiday Basket is outside your budget, you can support our Little Free Pantry by Needmore Coffee, where we have seen on numerous occasions children accompanied by adults selecting food from the pantry. Your non-perishable donations may be dropped in the bins on the north side of the church or the marked basket in the hallway under the Social Justice table. This is an ongoing food drive.
Hungry children are present in Monroe County. Please help.
Other interesting sources of data are:
