Hunger and Obesity: Two Sides of the Same Coin

A recent study revealed that food hardship affects nearly one in five families nationally. Hunger, food insecurity, and food hardship are gradations of the same phenomenon in which individuals who cannot afford sufficient nutritious food, fill up on energy-dense but nutrient-poor food, and often suffer from cycles of plenty/want/plenty based on the timing of their income streams. Researchers confirm that these patterns often lead to higher incidences of overweight and obesity.
By Andy Fisher

Rod Leonard on the Creation of WIC

In the 1960s, as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Marketing and Consumer Services, Rod Leonard was responsible for the creation of the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, an important source of nutritious food for low-income families today.
By Ben Lilliston

Applying for WIC and SNAP: Michigan’s Example

The nuts and bolts of applying for food assistance programs in Michigan.
By Alethia Carr

WIC & SNAP 101 – How Do These Programs Work?

The federal government has two multi-billion dollar programs designed to alleviate hunger and poor nutrition; the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (better known as WIC); and, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program). With the imminent reauthorization of the legislation for WIC, the Child Nutrition Act, now is the time to review how these programs work, and consider areas where improved coordination and possible integration are possible.
By Alethia Carr

Priceless

The videos are clear: if you want a healthier America, take action. Every child deserves the opportunity to eat food in school that ensures their health and well-being and Farm to School programs are one solution to incorporating healthier foods into school meals.
By Debra Eschmeyer Nicole Betancourt Shalini Kantayya

Lunch Encounters of the Third Kind

The videos are clear: if you want a healthier America, take action. Every child deserves the opportunity to eat food in school that ensures their health and well-being and Farm to School programs are one solution to incorporating healthier foods into school meals.
By Debra Eschmeyer Nicole Betancourt Shalini Kantayya

State of the Union's School Lunch

The Child Nutrition Act is being debated in Congress right now, which means we have a rare opportunity to actually improve how food for our youngest citizens is funded, sourced, defined, and prioritized. A reformed school lunch, with improved nutrition standards, increased reimbursement rates, and access to local healthy food, has the potential to nourish more than 31 million children daily in our education system; that is, 5 days a week, 180 days a year of our collective future. Let's take this opportunity to nourish the nation, one tray at a time.
By Debra Eschmeyer

Healthy Habits: The Role of Snacks in Child Nutrition Reauthorization

We snack everyday, but rarely think about how or where we learned to snack. We now have an opportunity to influence millions of children to develop the habit of eating nutritious snacks that will support their growth and a healthy body weight by providing healthy snacks through the federal child nutrition programs.
By Arnell Hinkle