Hunger in America's Classrooms: Share Our Strength's Teachers Report Shows Schools and Teachers Are Critical Safety Net for Nearly 17 Million U.S. Children Facing Hunger

WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Share Our Strength(R), the leading national organization working to end childhood hunger in America, released powerful survey results today indicating that teachers across America see children arriving at school hungry. Whether they work in urban, rural or suburban communities, teachers believe that hunger is a problem negatively affecting their student's ability to learn.

Hunger in America's Classrooms: Share Our Strength's Teachers Report, conducted by Lake Research Partners and funded by C&S Wholesale Grocers, shows that schools provide a critical safety net for kids when it comes to food and that teachers often are the first responders to hunger in our classrooms. In fact, 62 percent of teachers say they see children who regularly come to school hungry each week because they are not getting enough to eat at home.

"No amount of creative lesson planning on my part, no amount of studying on my students' part can change the fact that if children don't have their basic nutritional needs satisfied, they cannot learn," said Christine Gottshall, a fifth-grade teacher at Orchard Green School in Roxbury, Mass.

The report contains highlights of a public opinion survey of 740 kindergarten through eighth grade public school teachers nationwide conducted October 21 to 28, 2009.

"No child in America should grow up hungry. We have national programs in place, like school lunch and school breakfast, that can help all kids in need. We need to overcome the barriers that prevent families from enrolling their children in these programs and make sure that all children have nutritious food where they live, learn and play," said Bill Shore, founder and executive director of Share Our Strength.

The study reveals that teachers report seeing a range of physical and behavioral symptoms of hunger in their students, including lack of concentration (92%), lethargy (72%), complaining of hunger (69%), stomachaches (68%), headaches (60%) and irritability (53%).

More than three-quarters of teachers said they respond to hunger in the classroom by helping students' families sign up for free or reduced-price meals. And, shockingly, more than 63 percent of teachers report that they spend money from their own pocket to buy food for kids in their classrooms.

Recently released figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture show that nearly 17 million U.S. children -- almost one in four kids--face hunger today, which is an increase of more than 4 million children in one year. Share Our Strength's report also indicates that the problem in worsening. Among teachers who believe hunger in the classroom is a serious problem, three-quarters say the problem has increased in the past year.

"More families in my school are struggling for the first time. They don't know how to sign their children up for school meals and are embarrassed to ask for help," said Amanda Whitaker, a fifth grade teacher at Gilchrist Elementary School in Tallahassee, Fla. "I teach in a middle class community where few people would believe there are hungry kids, but five out of 24 kids in my class struggle with hunger on a regular basis."

This report was made possible by C&S Wholesale Grocers. "We are proud to support Share Our Strength in its efforts to end childhood hunger in America by 2015," said Gina Goff, Director of Director of Community Involvement at C&S Wholesale Grocers, Inc. "This report shines a light on a critical problem in this country, and it perfectly aligns with our core priorities of caring for children and eliminating hunger."

About Share Our Strength

Share Our Strength(R) is the leading national organization working to make sure no kid in America grows up hungry. By weaving together a net of community groups, activists and food programs, Share Our Strength catches children at risk of hunger and ensures they have nutritious food where they live, learn and play. Working closely with the culinary industry, Share Our Strength creates engaging, pioneering programs like Share Our Strength's Taste of the Nation(R), the nation's premier culinary benefit; Share Our Strength's Great American Bake Sale(R), a national grassroots effort; Share Our Strength's A Tasteful Pursuit(R), a touring dinner series; Share Our Strength's Great American Dine Out (R), a week-long program involving thousands of restaurants nationwide; and Share Our Strength's Operation Frontline(R), a cooking-based nutrition education program. Visit Strength.org and learn more about our goal of ending childhood hunger in America by 2015.

About Lake Research Partners

Celinda Lake and her firm, Lake Research Partners, are known for cutting-edge research on issues including the economy, health care, the environment and education. They work for a number of candidates, incumbents, and institutions including the AFL-CIO, SEIU, CWA, IAFF, Sierra Club, Planned Parenthood, American Federation of Teachers, Human Rights Campaign, Emily's List and the Kaiser Foundation. Celinda Lake has also worked with Vice President Biden and is one of the nation's foremost experts on electing women candidates and on framing issues to women voters.

About C&S Wholesale Grocers

C&S Wholesale Grocers, Inc. is a privately owned company with annual sales of $19 billion. The company is the 12th largest privately held company in the nation, as ranked by Forbes magazine. Founded in 1918, C&S provides distribution services to grocery chains and independent stores, delivering to approximately 4,600 locations from its distribution centers in Alabama, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Vermont.

SOURCE Share Our Strength

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