New research on hunger shows 45% of undocumented immigrants in California are affected by food insecurity, and 60% of undocumented children live in food-insecure households.

The latest figures are from the University of California, Los Angeles's California Health Interview Survey.

Groups that work to prevent hunger want to open food-assistance programs to include all income-eligible Californians, regardless of their immigration status.

Donna Yerat-Rodriguez, community liaison for the group Poder Latinx, recalls growing up poor and hungry - as her undocumented mother was unable to find stable work.

"By including undocumented individuals in food-assistance programs, it will make a difference," said Yerat-Rodriguez. "It would have changed our circumstances, and many other families as well."

The Food4All campaign from Nourish California, and the California Immigrant Policy Center support a bill to do just that. Senate Bill 464 has passed the State Senate and is now in State Assembly.

Gov. Gavin Newsom's proposed budget would expand CalFresh to undocumented people age 55 and older. Advocates want lawmakers to drop that age restriction in the final budget, which must pass by June 15th.

Opponents cite the cost considerations.

Susan Babey is senior research scientist with the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, which administers the survey.

"Children who experience food insecurity are more likely to be in overall poor health," said Babey. "They have an increased risk for depression and anxiety, and food insecurity is also associated with lower academic achievement."

And state Sen. Melissa Hurtado - D-Sanger - said she thinks the state has a moral obligation to use its budget surplus to fight hunger.

"If we really want to have that American dream, if we really want people to thrive, food is a fundamental component of that," said Hurtado. "And if we're not providing that, then we must do better."

Rising grocery prices and the end of pandemic-era benefits have left many Virginia families struggling to make ends meet.

A recent poll from No Kid Hungry Virginia highlighted the growing crisis. Among respondents, 78% said groceries have become more challenging to afford over the past year, and 77% of families are just one unexpected expense away from hunger.

Cassie Edner, public benefits attorney at the Virginia Poverty Law Center, said she is not surprised by the poll results.

"The cost of food, over the last how many years have been significantly increasing along with the cost of other things, rent, mortgages, things like that," Edner outlined. "Unfortunately, it makes sense that people are not able to afford their most basic necessities like food."

Virginia's low-income families saw significant relief during the pandemic from programs like the expanded federal Child Tax Credit, which, according to the Food Research and Action Center, reduced hunger among children by nearly one-third. However, with the expiration of the emergency measures, many families are once again vulnerable.

Edner noted potential solutions could include expanding SNAP benefits and the state-level Child Tax Credit. She is a long time advocate of a bill to provide healthy school meals but is looking at other tactics in the upcoming legislative session.

"There's a bill that would expand it to breakfast for all," Edner observed. "More kids would get breakfast in the morning, and that's one less expense that parents would have to worry about."

The survey also found many parents feel the mental strain of food insecurity. The Virginia Poverty Law Center provides resources like a SNAP calculator to help families determine their eligibility for benefits, and advocates hope the upcoming General Assembly session will prioritize policies addressing food insecurity.


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By Amy Felegy for Arts Midwest.
Broadcast version by Joe Ulery for Indiana News Service reporting for the Arts Midwest-Public News Service Collaboration

On a school lunch menu in rural Goshen, Indiana, is pizza, caprese sandwiches, hard-boiled eggs, and tater tot casserole. 

It may seem like nothing special (save maybe the Midwestern flare), except it is. Some of those very ingredients are grown and sourced by students just outside the cafeteria walls. 

With the help of a USDA grant, Bethany Christian Schools has grown its farm-to-school (rather, farm-at-school) program to include a greenhouse, garden beds, a 13-head chicken coop, and pear trees. It exists in large part thanks to Tara Swarzendruber, the K-12’s food services and farm-to-school director. 

“We’re working to give [students] more tactile experiences,” particularly among younger students, she says. “A lot of them, you know, spend a lot of time on iPads and screens … But this is a very physical experience of experiencing a food, a new food. And then the next week we’ll have it in the cafeteria for them to try there too.”

That experience looks like tending to the gardens and caring for chickens. Some students save seeds to replant; others lay down newspaper and grass clippings to prevent weeds.

Picking peppers, harvesting spinach and lettuce, going to butcher chickens once a year—it’s all in the curriculum. And for good reason, science teacher Amy Thut says.

She once overheard a student say going out into the garden relieves her anxiety. Another was inspired to plant tomatoes at home, meticulously watching them grow. They learn about food systems and how everything is connected.

“Spending time outdoors smelling the fragrant basil plants, feeling the wet soil, listening to insects chirping, seeing butterflies or earthworms, and tasting tomatoes or hot peppers is a full sensory experience,” Thut says. 

“Students benefit academically, socially, and emotionally from this time outdoors.” 

According to the South Dakota State University Extension, benefits of farm-to-school programs on students and staff include: grade and test score improvements, healthier food choices, more food system knowledge, better self-esteem and morale, and hands-on/experimental teaching and learning. 

In the spring, Thut works with her high school environmental science students to plant garden beds. Think cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, herbs, and flowers, which are simple for cafeteria staff to get on plates, she says. 

In the summer, a high school student (with the help of grounds staff) will water and weed the gardens, keeping bellies full through October. Then it’s time for the “fresh cart” come wintertime: Buy a meal (or use a free or reduced lunch pass) and get unlimited access to fresh fruit and vegetables all day. On the cart, you might find pea and sunflower shoots grown by sixth graders. Or chive flowers, hand-cut by Swarzendruber. 

“My goal has always been, in the cafeteria and as we’ve been transforming [the program], that the educational experience for students doesn’t stop during the lunch period,” Swarzendruber says. 

Her pointers for schools, or even just families, looking to follow a similar model: Lean into what you’re excited about, if even just a little. Then, start small. 

That’s what Bethany Christian Schools did some dozen years ago: Take a handful of seeds and one small garden, and watch it all grow. 


Amy Felegy wrote this story for Arts Midwest.


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A North Dakota initiative that invites hunters to donate some of their deer meat to hunger relief sites has been in place for two decades now. Recent years have seen varying results but officials said there are new opportunities to help more households.

Sportsmen Against Hunger brings together hunters around the state willing to set aside of a portion of their game meat so struggling households have greater access to nutritious protein. Designated meat processors play a role in getting the product to local food shelves.

Holly Papineau, program director for the Community Action Partnership of North Dakota, which oversees the program, said demand for assistance remains high.

"Food pantries are already stretched thin," Papineau pointed out. "The benefits from the influx of donated venison reduces the reliance on costly grocery store purchases."

Papineau noted a positive they have seen is the record number of processors around the state joining the initiative. They're now up to 14 but still need help in the Williston region out west. Last year, 931 pounds of meat was donated, a drop compared to the previous year. Papineau warned it reflects the fluctuating numbers of hunting licenses sought each year, due to a variety of factors.

Wildlife diseases and waning interest among younger generations are often cited as reasons why fewer hunting licenses are being purchased. Papineau emphasized for those who still hunt, there is an opportunity to help those living nearby, because the meat processing network is pretty robust, keeping donations local.

"If it's donated in Fargo, it stays in Fargo, if it's donated in Dickinson, it stays in Dickinson," Papineau outlined.

Papineau stressed they keep food safety in mind by not accepting unauthorized game meat, not processed by a licensed shop. The program takes in deer, elk and moose meat but doesn't accept waterfowl, including geese.