Dec 2, 2018 3 min read

Uniontown Herald-Standard

Children not having enough to eat is sadly a heartbreaking problem all over the world.

As we are all well aware, hunger is not just an issue in third-world countries – it’s occurring right in our own neighborhoods. It is right down the street. It is in the next classroom. It is in Fayette, Greene, Westmoreland, Washington and all of the other counties in the state.

Local organizations and schools are doing their best to help combat the problem the best way they know how. Some districts offer free breakfast and lunch. Concerned citizens rally together to collect and distribute food in “backpack projects” to students and families who may not otherwise see a hot meal over a weekend or during a holiday season. Food pantries are continuously stocking shelves to help those in need.

And of course there is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), assistance to provide funding for families that may need the help stretching the household budget to include an adequate amount of food.

According to Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services, a family of four receiving the maximum amount of benefits from SNAP can receive $642 a month to spend on groceries. No, that isn’t enough to serve filet mignon every night, but we feel that amount isn’t unrealistic in the ability to serve a family a healthy, balanced meal a few times a day.

So why are we struggling with kids going hungry?

We think the answer lies with deficiencies in parenting. We can’t help but think the real problem isn’t that there isn’t enough assistance, but that in many cases, there isn’t enough proper parenting.

State assistance can only help if parents are using the aid – shopping for groceries, preparing meals in the home and making sure that the health and welfare of their children are a top priority.

Now, we are sure there are many parents in our area who receive food assistance and provide the proper nutrition for their children. Those parents are using the assistance in the way it was intended to be used.

But when we hear of or see a hungry child, we have to ask ourselves, given all the programs and availability of help, why is it happening? Is someone doing the grocery shopping? Is someone in the home preparing the meals and replenishing the milk when it’s empty? Is someone recognizing the need for a meal for the children unable to cook for themselves when they return home from school each evening?

Is it a hardship in paying for food or is someone just not paying attention?

And we have to wonder why state and local officials aren’t asking themselves more often why is it happening.

Not ensuring that your children have enough to eat is neglect, and we wish officials would hold parents more accountable in those situations. This isn’t a broken assistance problem. This is a broken parenting problem.

And until parents who aren’t taking proper care of their children are held accountable for their actions or, in the case of a hungry child, inactions, the problem is only going to get worse.