Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano and Feeding America, the
nation’s largest hunger relief organization, released a new
study which reveals in 21.7% and 22.4% of children under the age
of 18 are struggling with hunger in Contra Costa and Solano
counties respectively. The study, “Map the Meal Gap: Child Food
Insecurity 2011”, also reveals that there are children
struggling with hunger in every county in America. Nationally,
while one in six Americans overall are food insecure, the rate
for children is much higher: nearly one in four children are
food insecure. About half of the food insecure children in the
Contra Costa and Solano counties are above 185% of the poverty
line meaning they do not qualify for most federal nutrition
programs including the National School Lunch Program due to the
high cost of living in the area. When discussing the issue with
Larry Sly, Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano Executive
Director, he said: “It is ironic that many children in our
community are ineligible for government