Did you know that more than 16 million children right here in the United States regularly go hungry?
This Saturday, Food Network and Share Our Strength‘s No Kid Hungry campaign team up for the new documentary, Hunger Hits Home, which premieres on the network at 8pm ET/7CT. Narrated by Oscar-winning actor and national Share Our Strength spokesman Jeff Bridges, the hourlong film takes a first-hand look at the crisis of childhood hunger in America via the stories of three hardworking American families struggling to make ends meet and put food on the table.
The film also gives firsthand accounts of ongoing efforts to bring this shocking crisis to an end by anti-hunger activists, educators and politicians on the frontlines of the battle — including a determined food pantry founder who makes the battle personal, and an elementary school principal who refuses to let his students go hungry. And most importantly, it provides viewers with the necessary tools to join the fight on national and local levels.
Here are five facts about childhood hunger in the U.S., provided by Share Our Strength:
1. More than 16 million kids in America live in households that stuggle to put food on the table
2. There were also over 16.4 million children in America living in poverty in 2010. That’s almost 1 million more than in 2009.
3. 9.8 Million kids get free or reduced-price breakfast on an average school day, more than ever before … but 10.5 million eligible kids go without.
4. Only 1 in 7 kids who get free or reduced-price school lunches receive summer meals.
5. Almost 45 million Americans used SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly food stamps) during 2011. Nearly 75 percent of these are in families with children and more than a quarter are in households with seniors or people with disabilities.
• Download a Hunger Hits Home viewer guide here.
• Make a secure online donation to the No Kid Hungry Campaign by clicking here
• Click here for more information on the September 2012 Dine Out For No Kid Hungry Campaign
• Take the No Kid Hungry pledge by clicking here.
• Find out how kids can get involved in the fight here.
• Resources for parents and teachers can be found here.
Hunger Hits Home premieres Saturday, April 14 at 8/7CT on Food Network.
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