COLUMBUS, Ohio - A new report is shining a light on the impacts of hunger on the youngest Ohioans. According to findings from the Children's Defense Fund-Ohio, one-in-four children in the state is food insecure.

And executive director Renuka Mayadev adds more than a quarter of kids younger than age six live in poverty, which she says is the root of hunger. She says that means many babies, toddlers, and preschoolers, who are not often seen, are not getting needed nutrition.

"These are children who are at home with caregivers, in church centers, nursery schools," says Mayadev. "And as policy makers and elected officials think about this issue, we forget that there are children who need these supports that we don't see."

The report shows the ways hunger and malnutrition can have a detrimental impact on a child's early brain development leading to physical and behavioral problems that hinder a child's educational achievement as they grow. The report finds that more than 653,000 Ohio children are food insecure.

Mayadev says learning starts at birth, yet the nutritional needs of many babies, toddlers and preschoolers are not consistently met to support early learning. She points out very young children can't get meals through the crucial free and reduced-priced breakfast and lunch programs available for school-age children.

"They're critically important, but we need to remember there are children who are hungry that are not in school," she says. "Specifically these babies, toddlers and preschoolers that do not have access to these nutritional supports."

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, known as WIC, provides support to meet the nutritional needs of mothers and babies. Mayadev says effective WIC services are crucial to reaching young children.

Part Two of the report, due out this summer, will examine the program as well as food access for those in child-care settings.



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Virginia's food banks are facing a perfect storm of issues. High inflation for everyday goods is driving up food costs for lower-income families, all while food banks are working to overcome supply-chain issues to keep their shelves stocked.

Eddie Oliver, executive director of the Federation of Virginia Food Banks, which oversees seven regional food banks across the state, said since many pandemic stimulus benefits have expired, the financial reserves lower-income families built have started to drop off.

"While families are getting squeezed, they're turning more and more to food banks for assistance," Oliver pointed out. "Meanwhile, our operational expenses are going up. So it's challenging on many fronts."

Oliver noted the best way to support a local food bank is through financial support, which will help them keep up with the surge in grocery prices. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), grocery prices are anticipated to increase between 5% and 6% in 2022.

According to Feeding America, nearly a quarter-million Virginia children are food insecure, and nearly half of households receiving SNAP benefits have children.

On top of the supply-chain issues and inflation, Oliver emphasized the end of the school semester also will be an exacerbating factor in the coming weeks.

"School meal access is coming to an end here as schools are about to let out for the summer," Oliver observed. "Meanwhile, we're seeing the highest inflation we've seen in decades, which of course disproportionately impacts low-income families."

The USDA extended free school lunches to kids throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, but the program will end at the conclusion of this school year. The Virginia Poverty Law Center reported pre-COVID, more than 460,000 Virginia students received free and reduced-cost school meals daily.

Oregonians are casting their ballots for Tuesday's primary election. One issue affecting many voters is access to child care.

Courtney Helstein, senior political director with the organization Family Forward Oregon, said child-care affordability was a problem before COVID-19 and the pandemic has only exacerbated it.

She said women, particularly women of color, have felt the disproportionate impacts of care costs and accessibility. Helstein said the costs mean some have to make tough decisions.

"The result of all these high costs is that too many families are actually forced to choose between child care, between meals, between other basic necessities," said Helstein. "And they're also having to weigh the financial costs of, 'Is it actually more cost effective for me and my family for me to not work?'"

Helstein said demand has never been higher for child care, but workers in the field are among the lowest paid in the country.

She said there have been some successes in the Oregon Legislature, including investments in early childhood learning and community-led pilot projects.

Matt Newell-Ching, senior policy manager with the nonpartisan nonprofit Oregon Food Bank, said access to child care is a hunger issue.

The food bank surveyed candidates for governor about food insecurity, and their responses are posted on its website.

Newell-Ching said there's a question about child care because Oregon Food Bank believes it will continue to be an issue for Oregon families.

"Whoever the next governor is," said Newell-Ching, "we believe it's critical that we as a state come together to ensure kids have a safe place to be while parents are working because it impacts every communities' ability to rebuild and thrive."

Helstein said we need to look at child care differently.

"We're seeing the beginning of this culture shift," said Helstein, "across the country, but definitely in the state of Oregon, of really starting to reframe access to child care from kind of like a personal problem to a societal problem, to a community benefit."

The deadline to vote in Oregon's primary is Tuesday. Drop sites for ballots will be open until 8 p.m.

Reporting by Oregon News Service funded in part by Oregon Food Bank.

Mail carriers across New Mexico are gearing-up for the "2022 Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive" this Saturday, May 14. The National Association of Letter Carriers with the U.S. Postal Service encourage postal customers to leave a bag in or near their mailbox filled with nonperishable food, to be picked up by mail carriers and shared with Roadrunner Food Bank for distribution. Comments from Marie Montano, carrier, National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 504, Albuquerque.

Marie Montano, a letter carrier for the Postal Service and member of the National Association of Letter Carriers Local 504 in Albuquerque leads the drive, said donations help replenish the shelves at Roadrunner Food Bank.

Montano noted the project is close to her heart, because she remembers her own family sometimes struggled to make ends meet.

"There were six of us in my family, so I remember that it was sometimes tight for my parents," Montano recounted. "And if I can do it now, to help out, I will do as much as I can, because I remember that."

Due to COVID, letter carriers had to forgo the annual tradition the past two years, and instead competed in friendly contests to raise cash for Roadrunner, topping out at $10,000 last year.

The annual event, held the second Saturday in May, takes place in 10,000 cities and towns in all 50 states and beyond.

According to Montano, postal customers just need to put food items next to their mail slot and a letter carrier will do the rest.

"Some of my customers don't have the time to go and take it to Roadrunner," Montano acknowledged. "Everybody's so busy now and with COVID going on, they were kind-of scared, and it's easy for a lot of our customers."

Because of the two-year COVID hiatus, Montano is not sure what to expect for this year's drive, but said current letter carriers, retirees and countless volunteers will do their best to make it successful.

"I'd like to hit 200,000 pounds for Albuquerque," Montano emphasized. "We've gone a little bit close, I don't know that we've fully gone over, over in the one-day pick-up. I think the highest we've gone is, like, 195,000."

People are encouraged to leave a sturdy bag containing nonperishable food items that are not expired -- such as canned soup, canned vegetables, canned meats and fish, pasta, peanut butter, rice or cereal -- next to their mailbox before the regular mail delivery time on Saturday.