(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — A leader with the Greater Chicago Food Depository says a new Illinois program aimed at combating hunger in children is just one more step in confronting the problem of food insecurity.
Sophie Milam, the vice president for policy with the Greater Chicago Food Depository, said the problem of hunger is different for different families. Some families want help but aren’t sure where to find it; others are reluctant to accept the help that they know is there.
“What we have heard, or what we have read about in the literature, is that for families with children, food insecurity is first experienced by the parents,” Milam said. “They are the ones who are reducing how much they eat, the quality of the food that they’re eating, skipping meals so that they can protect their children from hunger.”
Others might live in an area with a shortage of food stores.
“The thing about food deserts that we don’t always lift up is that while they are often impacting communities that have households that are living in poverty, there are also people in those communities who have the resources they need to purchase food, but … they don’t have the choices,” she said.
While there are many programs that offer help to low-income families, Milam said some people find it hard to ask for help.
“Older adults, the stigma that they feel, the barriers that they face, are different from a family with young children or a family with school-age children,” she said. “It is a blessing that we have meal programs in our schools at breakfast and lunch, so school-age children are able to get the nutrition they need in the places that they are going to be each day.”
Milam told WBBM that one of the most important things her organization can do is make sure families know what resources are available to them and make sure it’s clear that these programs exist to help them.
“Making that support known and accessible to families so that they don’t have to face these really difficult choices in terms of how they’re going to support their children,” she said.
Families that want to learn more about the summer electronic benefit transfer food program can find help online.
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