Half of US kids will get food stamps, study says

[babylonsister]

Half of US kids will get food stamps, study says
…
By LINDSEY TANNER, AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner, Ap Medical Writer – Mon Nov 2, 9:32 pm ET


CHICAGO – Nearly half of all U.S. children and 90 percent of black youngsters will be on food stamps at some point during childhood, and fallout from the current recession could push those numbers even higher, researchers say.

The estimate comes from an analysis of 30 years of national data, and it bolsters other recent evidence on the pervasiveness of youngsters at economic risk. It suggests that almost everyone knows a family who has received food stamps, or will in the future, said lead author Mark Rank, a sociologist at Washington University in St. Louis.

"Your neighbor may be using some of these programs but it's not the kind of thing people want to talk about," Rank said.

The analysis was released Monday in the November issue of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. The authors say it's a medical issue pediatricians need to be aware of because children on food stamps are at risk for malnutrition and other ills linked with poverty.

"This is a real danger sign that we as a society need to do a lot more to protect children," Rank said.

more...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091103/ap_on_he_me/us_med_children_food_stamps

[juno jones]

1. They need to expand WIC

to maybe age 12 or even 18.

Wic at least delivers some nutritional foods separate from foods stamps. It isn't much, but when your food budget for the month is only a couple hundred, $40 for milk and cheese is a real help and gets kids some of what they need calcium and protein-wise. Wic also diverts surplus food that would otherwise be stockpiled or destroyed, it helps dairy farmers who are currently destroying herd due to surplus.