For fourth-grader Fabian Aguirre, it's hard to think about math equations when he's sitting in class with a growling stomach. On days he doesn't eat at home first, even the meals offered by the school aren't enough to keep him feeling full.
are adding strains on families who are seeing reductions in multiple kinds of financial assistance. One federal program that ends this month had given nearly 30 million Americans extra food stamps during the pandemic.have been rising — showing the level of need, and raising questions about how schools will keep feeding everyone, without federal money to do it.
More than 34 million people, including 9 million children, in the United States are food insecure, according to the U. S. Department of Agriculture, meaning they lack consistent access to enough food for every person in their family to be healthy. “It's hard to focus in class when I'm hungry. Food helps me pay attention to what I'm learning,” said Fabian, 10.
“We realized that a lot of our students were going straight to the playground and not going into the cafeteria to eat before school, from the 7 a.m. to 7:15 a.m. timeframe,” said Jessica Padilla, a sixth-grade math and science teacher. It can be difficult for parents to ask for the help they need, said Jillien Meier, director of No Kid Hungry. Immigrant parents, she said, might also avoid filling out forms requesting free or reduced-price meals out of concern it could bring unwanted attention if they are in the U.S. illegally.
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