9Cares Colorado Shares | Hunger Free Colorado

Making Sure that No Child Goes to Bed Hungry

Hunger Free Colorado — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

By the time children arrive at afterschool programs, lunch is a distant memory. Their growing bodies need food just to get through the afternoon. Without it, children feel run down, their attention span shortens, their ability to learn diminishes, and they have difficulty fully participating in afterschool activities. Many afterschool programs run late into the evening – some stay open as late as 9 pm on school nights – to keep children safe and supervised while their parents are at work.

For many years in Colorado, afterschool programs could only receive a small reimbursement for snacks served to children in their care. Afterschool programs often had to scrape together the funds to serve enough food to keep children well-nourished and attentive. This was often a struggle for cash-strapped enrichment programs, particularly programs that served older youth that have higher caloric needs. Now, thanks to the recent Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, afterschool programs can provide a nutritious evening meal to the children in their care.

To read the full post, visit the 9 News website.

For more information about the Afterschool Nutrition Programs, please contact Hunger Free Colorado at meghan@hungerfreecolorado.org or 720.328.1284.

Nutritious, delicious, and out of reach – too many families in Colorado cannot afford fresh produce

Hunger Free Colorado — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

DENVER – Most people know that fresh fruits and vegetables are loaded with vitamins and minerals. They are sweet, crunchy, juicy, and refreshing. Adults are generally advised to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables daily to ensure proper nutrition and a healthy weight. But have you ever noticed that fresh fruits and vegetables aren’t always available or are very expensive?

“A Half-Empty Plate” by the Food Research and Action Center reports that a disturbingly high percentage of Coloradan households – nearly one in 10 – have experienced difficulty obtaining fresh fruits and vegetables. The report contains an analysis of data collected by the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index project. Every day since Jan. 2, 2008, interviewers have asked 1,000 households, “In the city or area where you live, is it easy or not easy to get affordable fresh fruits and vegetables?”

To read the full article, visit the 9New website.

9News Content “Hunger in Colorado: Perception vs. Reality”

Hunger Free Colorado — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

DENVER – When most people think of hunger, the image of young children living in an underdeveloped country far away comes to mind. But the reality is, hunger exists right here in Colorado. In fact, in Colorado, more than 900,000 people -one in five Coloradans-suffer from food hardship. While hunger is most common in Metro Denver and the San Luis Valley, hunger exists in every single county in Colorado.

To read the rest of this post, visit 9News website.