Advocating to End Food Insecurity

Kathy Goldman is being honored as a Champion of Change for strengthening food security. 

I am thrilled to have been selected as a White House Champion of Change, but please know that I am here representing the many, many advocates and activists who have worked and continue to work so hard day in and year out to make a real difference in the lives of so many, especially the two million New Yorkers living in poverty.

One thing I believe about Americans is that we can't stand seeing our neighbors go hungry. No one wants to see again the endless breadlines and starving children that we saw in the Great Depression. And so, especially since the 1960's, several federal food assistance programs are now in place to provide a safety net for needy families including SNAP, National School Breakfast and Lunch, the Summer Food Service Program, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, and WIC. The federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) also provides a crucial boost to low-income families.

But the fight against hunger is never over. Advocates from every corner of the United States work tirelessly each day to ensure that basic needs of children, senior citizens, families and individuals are met. For example, nearly 2 million people in New York City live in poverty and 1.9 million receive SNAP benefits which often do not last the entire month. The Food Bank for New York City steps in and serves over 1,000 service providers, who in turn provide meals to 1.5 million people annually. The Food Bank for New York City distributed 65 million pounds of food last year, including federally purchased surplus food. But without the foundation of SNAP benefits, it would be impossible for food banks, pantries, and soup kitchens to fill the gap and provide enough food to meet the need. 

And where would we be without the WIC program that provides healthy foods to pregnant women, and infants and children up to five years old? 50% of all babies born in the United States utilize WIC. The program was developed in response to the shocking infant mortality statistics in the United States, as well as to prevent low birth weight and premature babies.  We and many advocates throughout this country work tirelessly to make sure eligible women and children use this program.  

United Against Infant Mortality

Dr. Claudia Llanten is being honored as a Champion of Change for strengthening food security. 

I first became involved in the United Against Infant Mortality/Unidos Contra La Mortalidad Infantil project in Peru in January of 2010. The project is a partnership between the Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB), Bon Secours Health System, CHRISTUS Health and Caritas del Peru. The goal is to decrease morbidity and mortality in children less than five years of age in three key regions of Peru where Catholic healthcare networks have established health ministries. I volunteered to perform the baseline evaluation project and spent a few weeks in Peru carrying out the initial assessments. I loved everything about the project; it really focused on a major gap in parental involvement with their children’s health and nutrition, it was community-based, and the project offered the economic and food security support that was needed to enable these parents to put what they learned into action.

Working Together to Give Children a Healthy Start

Jovita Flores is being honored as a Champion of Change for strengthening food security. 

As a mother, I know that healthy children are better prepared to learn and succeed in school. As a neighbor, I know that we can only change our community by working together. These two simple lessons have helped me connect with parents to make sure that our children have the healthy food they need to succeed at school. I’m honored to be recognized as a White House Champion of Change for this work, and I want to recognize all the mothers and fathers of Parents United for Healthy Schools/Padres Unidos para Escuelas Saludables who have raised their voices and worked together for our children’s health.

I got involved in this work because of my own worries about my family -- I have a history of diabetes in my family and was concerned about my kids’ health. So I started asking other moms: are you concerned too? I was surprised when I heard nearly every mom tell me she was worried about the same thing. When I looked around, I realized that childhood obesity is a real problem in our community, more than in some others. At the same time, I saw the economic crisis hit our neighborhood hard. We have a lot of low-income families, and it was hard for people to put food on the table every day. But we have to do more than give our kids food -- we need to make sure it’s healthy food and that it gives them the energy they need to run around and to focus in school. We all want a bright future for our children, and it starts with making sure they are healthy and have the nutrition and energy to succeed.