The bill by Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., targets children from low-income families that qualify for free or reduced-cost school breakfasts and lunches during the week.
The Weekends Without Hunger Act would start a federal pilot program to provide food for schools and local anti-hunger groups to distribute.
The bill authorizes Congress to spend $10 million a year for five years on the effort.
More than 19 million schoolchildren eat free or reduced-cost meals during the week, according to Feeding America, a national network of hunger relief charities.
In Clark County, roughly 148,000 children qualify for the free or subsidized meals.
"With 45 percent of Clark County schoolchildren relying on the free and reduced-price lunch program, more than 140,000 students in Southern Nevada are facing hunger at home, and many depend on school meals as their main source of food throughout the week," Titus said.
"With many nonprofit and charity organizations struggling to meet the high demand for food during this tough economic time, my legislation would help provide our children with food during weekends and holidays."
Especially since "The Great Recession" hit Southern Nevada, hunger has turned into a major crisis... And now, it's hitting school kids quite hard. Three Square's "Backpack for Kids" program provides 6,000 backpacks full of food for kids in need in 195 schools all over Clark County, but those 6,000 backpacks still aren't enough as many thousands more school children have been hit hard by poverty and still have to go home starving. If anything, the brutal reality of poverty in our community shows how much this is needed.
But already, it looks like the teabaggers have infected that R-J story (as usual) with their lame@ss comments not only attacking Dina Titus, but also attacking these poor kids and their families. Cheese louise, how low will they go??!!
Disgusting... And typical. Someone wants to do something to fight childhood hunger, and the teabaggers not only attack her, but also attack these poor kids who have done nothing wrong! It just goes to show how selfish and cruel the "tea party" is. Many of them depend on government programs themselves (like Social Security & Medicare), but they've been lied to by the radical right so much that they're even willing to attack innocent kids!
Anyway, props to Dina Titus for taking action... And I can't wait to hear what lame excuses Dean Heller offers when he votes to keep Nevada's school kids starving.
This has to be one of the stupidist ideas to come along in along time.
ReplyDeleteFirst, when was the last time a child has died of starvation because their family could not find food?
Second, are you telling me that with all the programs- food stamps, wIC, food banks etc that now you need the Feds to chip in as well? Why is it the schools business to provide food to non-students.
Finally, it is not the business of schools to provide food for families while school is not in session. What else do you want the schools to provide during a weekend or holiday? Maybe shelter?
Finally, I don't know when the last time you saw a school lunch, but it's not that healthy and then you want to give kids more fatty foods?
Stupid idea from Titus, but hardly a surprise as she has never had a real job in her life.