December 2018 “Young
Children” Newsletter
Good morning fellow
Kiwanians!
What happens when a child is hungry?
Kids who don’t get enough to
eat — especially during their first three years — begin life at a serious
disadvantage. Hunger hinders brain development. The brain develops rapidly from
conception to age 5. Without the right nutrients, the brain cannot develop
properly, resulting in long term effects on learning abilities.When they’re
hungry, children are more likely to be hospitalized and they face higher risks
of health conditions like anemia and asthma. And as they grow up, kids
struggling to get enough to eat are more likely to have problems in school and
other social situations.
Children facing hunger may
struggle in school — and beyond. They are more likely to:
• Repeat a grade in elementary school
• Experience developmental impairments in areas like language and
motor skills
• Have more social and behavioral problems.
• Hunger has been observed to cause depression, anxiety and
withdrawal, all of which are obstructions to a child trying to focus on
education.
I would like to share with
you the most recent information on Food Insecurity in New England.
FOOD INSECURITY in U.S. and New England
(the state of being without
reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food every day)
Statistics:
1 out of 8 Americans are food insecure
1 out of 6 American children suffer from hunger and food
insecurity
|
|
Number
|
% of population
|
Number
|
% of children
|
|
|
|
America
|
41,200,000
|
13(1 out of 8)
|
12,900,000
|
18 (1 out of 6)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
New England
|
1,574,000
|
11
|
420,000
|
14 (1 out of 7)
|
|
|
|
Connecticut
|
415,000
|
12
|
117,000
|
16 (1 out of 6.25)
|
|
|
|
Fairfield
|
91,000
|
10
|
29,000
|
13
|
|
|
|
Hartford
|
106,000
|
12
|
30,000
|
16
|
|
|
|
Litchfield
|
18,000
|
10
|
5,000
|
14
|
|
|
|
Middlesex
|
16,000
|
10
|
4,000
|
13
|
|
|
|
New Haven
|
107,000
|
12
|
30,000
|
17
|
|
|
|
New London
|
31,000
|
12
|
9,000
|
17
|
|
|
|
Tolland
|
15,000
|
10
|
4,000
|
13
|
|
|
|
Windham
|
13,000
|
11
|
4,000
|
17
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Maine
|
183,000
|
14
|
51,000
|
20 (1 out of 5)
|
|
|
|
Androscoggin
|
16,000
|
15
|
5,000
|
21
|
|
|
|
Aroostook
|
11,000
|
16
|
3,000
|
23
|
|
|
|
Cumberland
|
37,000
|
13
|
10,000
|
17
|
|
|
|
Franklin
|
4,000
|
14
|
1,000
|
20
|
|
|
|
Hancock
|
7,000
|
14
|
2,000
|
20
|
|
|
|
Kennebec
|
17,000
|
14
|
5,000
|
21
|
|
|
|
Knox
|
5,000
|
13
|
1,000
|
19
|
|
|
|
Lincoln
|
4,000
|
13
|
1,000
|
21
|
|
|
|
Oxford
|
8,000
|
14
|
3,000
|
22
|
|
|
|
Penobscot
|
23,000
|
15
|
6,000
|
21
|
|
|
|
Piscataquis
|
3,000
|
16
|
1,000
|
26
|
|
|
|
Sagadahoc
|
4,000
|
12
|
1,000
|
19
|
|
|
|
Somerset
|
8,000
|
16
|
2,000
|
24
|
|
|
|
Waldo
|
6,000
|
14
|
2,000
|
21
|
|
|
|
Washington
|
5,000
|
16
|
1,000
|
23
|
|
|
|
York
|
24,000
|
12
|
7,000
|
18
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Massachusetts
|
653,000
|
10
|
167,000
|
12 (1 out of 8.3)
|
|
|
|
Barnstable
|
18,000
|
8
|
4,000
|
13
|
|
|
|
Berkshire
|
13,000
|
10
|
3,000
|
15
|
|
|
|
Bristol
|
57,000
|
10
|
16,000
|
14
|
|
|
|
Dukes
|
2,000
|
10
|
500
|
14
|
|
|
|
Essex
|
56,000
|
7
|
19,000
|
12
|
|
|
|
Franklin
|
6,000
|
9
|
2,000
|
13
|
|
|
|
Hampden
|
46,000
|
10
|
17,000
|
16
|
|
|
|
Hampshire
|
16,000
|
10
|
3,000
|
12
|
|
|
|
Middlesex
|
124,000
|
8
|
29,000
|
9
|
|
|
|
Nantucket
|
1,000
|
8
|
300
|
13
|
|
|
|
Norfolk
|
54,000
|
8
|
13,000
|
9
|
|
|
|
Plymouth
|
43,000
|
9
|
13,000
|
11
|
|
|
|
Suffolk
|
109,000
|
14
|
19,000
|
14
|
|
|
|
Worcester
|
72,000
|
9
|
21,000
|
12
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
New Hampshire
|
120,000
|
9
|
30,000
|
11 1 out of 9)
|
|
|
|
Belknap
|
6,000
|
9
|
2,000
|
14
|
|
|
|
Carroll
|
4,000
|
9
|
1,000
|
14
|
|
|
|
Cheshire
|
8,000
|
10
|
2,000
|
13
|
|
|
|
Coos
|
4,000
|
11
|
1,000
|
17
|
|
|
|
Grafton
|
9,000
|
10
|
2,000
|
13
|
|
|
|
Hillsborough
|
37,000
|
9
|
10,000
|
12
|
|
|
|
Merrimack
|
13,000
|
9
|
3,000
|
12
|
|
|
|
Rockingham
|
22,000
|
7
|
6,000
|
10
|
|
|
|
Strafford
|
13,000
|
10
|
3,000
|
12
|
|
|
|
Sullivan
|
4,000
|
9
|
1,000
|
13
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rhode Island
|
128,000
|
12
|
36,000
|
17 1 out of 5.8)
|
|
|
|
Bristol
|
5,000
|
10
|
1,000
|
14
|
|
|
|
Kent
|
17,000
|
10
|
5,000
|
15
|
|
|
|
Newport
|
10,000
|
12
|
2,000
|
15
|
|
|
|
Providence
|
83,000
|
13
|
25,000
|
19
|
|
|
|
Washington
|
13,000
|
11
|
3,000
|
15
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Vermont
|
75,000
|
12
|
19,000
|
16 (1 out of 6,25)
|
|
|
|
Addison
|
4,000
|
10
|
1,000
|
15
|
|
|
|
Bennington
|
4,000
|
12
|
1,000
|
18
|
|
|
|
Caledonia
|
4,000
|
12
|
1,000
|
17
|
|
|
|
Chittenden
|
19,000
|
12
|
4,000
|
13
|
|
|
|
Essex
|
1,000
|
13
|
200
|
19
|
|
|
|
Franklin
|
5,000
|
11
|
2,000
|
14
|
|
|
|
Grand Isle
|
1,000
|
10
|
200
|
15
|
|
|
|
Lamoille
|
3,000
|
12
|
1,000
|
17
|
|
|
|
Orange
|
3,000
|
11
|
1,000
|
16
|
|
|
|
Orleans
|
4,000
|
13
|
1,000
|
18
|
|
|
|
Rutland
|
7,000
|
12
|
2,000
|
16
|
|
|
|
Washington
|
7,000
|
11
|
2,000
|
16
|
|
|
|
Windham
|
6,000
|
11
|
2,000
|
15
|
|
|
|
Windsor
|
6,000
|
11
|
2,000
|
1
|
|
|
Clearly, Massachusetts and
New Hampshire are doing above the average in feeding the hungry . But Maine and
Rhode Island have approximately 1 out of 5 children dealing with food
insecurity every day.
I hope you will consider
doing more projects to help fight food inadequacies in your communities.
Support your local food pantries, backpack food programs, organize a food
collection, and most importantly, support programs which supply food to
children during school vacations and during the summer when food pantries are
at their lowest supplies. HUNGER NEVER TAKES A HOLIDAY!
Finally, have you considered
holding a meal packing event? This is a great Division Project.
Outreach, Inc, offers 5
different meal options.
Macaroni and Cheese, Rice and
Beans, Minestrone Soup, Pasta with Italian Tomato Sauce, and Apple Cinnamon
Oatmeal. Each serving contains a fortified protein supplement making it more
nutritious than store bought packaged food.
Each serving costs $.25 or
$1.50 for a packet feeding 6. Meals are assembled on a line with 10 people
working on each line. 36 meal packets fill a carton which costs $54. Minimally
$2500 must be ordered for the activity. Matthew Martin is the Regional Manager
and New England Coordinator for the Outreach Program.
Cell: 857-939-3459
for more information: visit
The Outreach Program www.theoutreacprogram.org
Recently the Portland Kiwanis
Club hosted a meal packing event for Kiwanis One Day on Oct. 27, 2018 held at a
local church. I was fortunate to be able to participate.
Over 17,000 servings of apple
cinnamon oatmeal
were packaged in about 2
hours with much laughter and enthusiasm. The cartons were delivered to local
food pantries in the greater Portland area. All participates left with a smile
knowing that hungry families would be receiving nutritious food because of our
efforts! I hope you will consider organizing a meal packing project!
If you have concerns or
questions, please contact me. And if you do arrange a food assembly project,
please invite me. I would love to participate!
Ava Adams, District Chair
Young Children
New England and Bermuda District
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