CHAPTER 4
local level makes a difference. A 2013 study by
the Washington, DC-based Food Research and
Action Center (FRAC) found that from 2011 to
2012, Indiana had the country’s largest increase
in participation in the summer meals program,
moving from 34th in the nation to 20th.10 Indianapolis can’t take credit for improvements across
the entire state, but it accounts for over half of
the improvement in this metric.
Based on the difficulties communities face
in reaching kids through summer feeding sites,
USDA is now trying something different: a pilot
program that would increase SNAP benefits
during the summer months by $60 to families with
children who received free or reduced price meals
during the school year.11 Evaluations of the first
year of the pilot found that it cut child hunger by
20 percent.12 See Figure 4.3. This is one among several pilot programs around the country launched
because local leaders feed information back to federal policymakers about what’s working, what isn’t,
and what kind of solutions they could try.
CHAPTER 2
Because there are federal programs, private charities can focus on what they do best.
1. Filling the gaps—Private charities can serve people at risk of hunger whose income is too high to
take advantage of federal programs.
2. Rescuing food—We waste a lot of perfectly good food. Volunteers reclaim what would have been
wasted and distribute it through the appropriate channels.
3. Saying that it’s okay to ask for help—Neighbor-to-neighbor contact and concern for each other helps
to overcome the stigma associated with poverty.
4. Community engagement—Hands-on activities are critical as they allow the more fortunate to interact
with less fortunate members of the community and learn first-hand about their circumstances.
5. Rehabilitation and development—Churches and others use food assistance as a step in the process
of helping individuals and families in need deal with broader poverty-related issues.
The public/private system works well, but there are still too many hungry people in our ??[][?]Y\??\?X?X[ H?[ ?[?[? ?[?[??]YH??\? ??YH ?Y??\?[?? ] ??[XZ?H H ?\?[H[?HY??X?]?B?]?\?]?\?K??K?H?H?YY ?YX\?\?H [?Y]?YY ???\????[??X?\?] K[? ] ?\]Z\?\?HYX\?\?[Y[? ?\?[B?] ?[[?? \? ? ?YH ?\?H H ?\?[?\??Y\?[ ???[\?[? ?? [?Y\?Y??? ?\?H?[[?? ?? ????H?H?YYH?][?[ H ?\ ?Y ?LH ?\?[H ?[ [?H] ?\??? [??\??[? H ?\??X?\? ]?\?H ?Y? ?? [K???H?H?YY ?XZ?HX[ Y\????[?H]?Z[X?N?? H X?X? ?YK??^[\K[?H?[?[?? ?[\ ??H H ]X[] H? ????YX[ ??[?? H ?]?]H ?YK?\??\? ] XX??[Z[Y\??? ?X]?X[ Y\??H?Y?] ?? ?H?H?YY[?^ [??[?? H [??\???YH??[][?]Y\??] ???H?][?]?YH ]??H?? ?\?[???\? ?X?X?\?
??? [??\???YX??[][?]Y\???K?????[??] H ??[H ?\?[ZX?[ KH?[Y]?H \?H\?H ? ????\?H ??HXYH ]H X?X?? ?]?]B?\??\??\\?\??[?X[Y? ?H\?H??[?? ?[? [??\?[? H[?]Y?]\???H[???[ ??]?HZ[?\?\? H^X?]]?H\?X??? H[? H [??\??] ???[?H??Y\??Z\?? H??XY?? H?????\? ??[??][?HX??] H[? H [??\??] ???] ???[? Z [??\???????????XY ????[??] ]x? ??? ? ? M [??\??\?8? ? L?B?????