hunger

Jaqueline Benitez pushes her cart down an aisle as she shops for groceries at a supermarket in Bellflower, Calif., on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023. Benitez, 21, who works as a preschool teacher, depends on California's SNAP benefits to help pay for food, and starting in March she expects a significant cut, perhaps half, of the $250 in food benefits she has received since 2020. (AP Photo/Allison Dinner)

Health

South Florida chefs fight to save the country’s largest food assistance program

Ammy Sanchez

Eight South Florida chefs are joining more than 150 nationwide in urging Congress to protect children from going hungry. They are speaking out against proposed deep cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, which helps low-income families buy groceries.

FILE - Apples and orange slices rest in trays for student lunches at the Albert D. Lawton Intermediate School, in Essex Junction, Vt., June 9, 2022.

Government & Politics

South Florida mayors exhort Congress to reject cuts to federal food stamp benefits

WLRN News Staff

North Miami Mayor Alix Desulme, joined with mayors across the country, to urge Congress to reject making cuts to federal programs that help low-income families pay for food.

Two students embrace in the cafeteria at Gove Elementary in Palm Beach.

Health

This holiday, Florida has a second chance to opt-into food assistance for kids

Danielle Prieur

The deadline to apply for a federal food assistance program is January 1.

National participation in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program has increased in recent years. The benefits program serves low-income pregnant women and parents of young children.

Health

Florida hunger relief advocates flag insufficient WIC funding in federal spending plan

Gabriella Paul

Ahead of the Jan. 19 federal spending deadline, a program that provides food benefits to women, infants and children in Florida and other states is facing a budget shortfall of around $1 billion.

President Joe Biden speaks during the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 28, 2022.

Key takeaways from Biden's conference on hunger and nutrition in America

Ximena Bustillo

The White House is touting many of its pandemic programs and benefits as a way to reduce hunger. But a partisan Congress is among the biggest hurdles.

During the national "Empty Bowls" events, brightly colored ceramic bowls left empty for attendees serve as a reminder of the millions of Americans struggling with food insecurity.

Empty bowls and full hearts drive Palm Beach Gardens fundraiser

Christine DiMattei

The national "Empty Bowls" event to raise funds in the fight against hunger comes to Palm Beach Gardens for the first time.

Nutritionist Shaunté Fields and bus driver Treva White, left, deliver meals to children and their families in Seattle. When schools closed because of COVID-19, Seattle Public Schools began distributing breakfast and lunch to students through a network of 26 school sites and 43 bus routes five days a week.

Millions of children will miss healthy school meals when pandemic relief expires

Allison Aubrey

A boost in funds and flexibility in how food is prepared and packaged was a lifeline for kids coping with hunger. But these measures, passed in response to COVID-19, expire in June with no extension.

Some families are being forced to choose between remote learning and school meals

Cory Turner

Many low-income families who want their children to keep learning remotely are losing access to a federal program that helped them pay for meals.

With the U.S. Capitol dome in the background, a sign that reads "Build Back Better" is displayed before a news conference on Dec. 15, the day the last monthly child tax credit payment was sent out.

The expanded child tax credit expires Friday after Congress failed to renew it

Deepa Shivaram

Because the Build Back Better agenda was not passed by the Senate before the end of the year, the last payment of the expanded child tax credit program went out this month.

A lesbian couple hold hands during the annual Gay Pride rally, on June 8, 2007. Recent survey data shows that LGBTQ adults in the U.S. are more likely to report higher rates of food and economic insecurity.

LGBTQ Adults Are Facing Hunger At Almost Twice The Rate As Others, New Data Shows

Josie Fischels

LGBTQ Americans in a new Census survey reported higher rates of food and economic insecurity, indicating the community is experiencing a particularly heavy financial toll from the pandemic.

A family gets three breakfasts at Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale in March 2020. Drive-through meal pickups, food trucks and delivery via school bus are some of the ways school districts and nonprofits have helped get food to families during the pandemic.

A Barrier To Feeding Hungry Kids In South Florida: Lack Of Transportation

Jessica Bakeman

The statewide chapter of No Kid Hungry, a national organization tackling childhood food insecurity, has seen more requests for grants to support transporting food directly to students and families.

Sarita Sanmiguel’s kindergarten class at Redland Elementary in south Miami-Dade on Monday, Oct. 5, 2020, the first day that Miami-Dade public school students returned to their classrooms, after learning remotely since March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Teachers Next Up For COVID-19 Vaccines, Student Hunger, And Black Golfers Who Fought For Equality

Suria Rimer

Getting teachers vaccinated and getting food to students. Plus, the story of a group of Black golfers who stood up against segregation, the city and its white elites.