Here is a sampling of reader comments from last week’s Atlanta Forward blog on curbing childhood hunger in Georgia.
Canwetalk: I have to disagree about hungry children not being able to play or study. First, hungry is not synonymous with starving. Children are highly motivated when hungry; they study better when hungry than their counterparts who have their appetites satiated. Also, hungry children are more likely to help others negotiating payment for work. And even those who are a bit more than hungry are ingenious for finding opportunities to eat. This is truly the land of plenty. I made mashed potatoes for a community dinner last night, serving 500 at the church dining area. It was free; none of the attendees looked undernourished — disheveled, unkempt, downtrodden, but not undernourished. I think it is time to think less about the least of us and understand, they are survivors like the rest of the people. Move on.
Rockerbabe: Canwetalk: Your comments show how out of touch you are with regard to hunger and the effects on children, not to mention adults. Inadequate nutrition is a determent to the ability to work, learn, heal, sleep and function. Anyone who is undernourished often feels isolated, sick and embarrassed at their situation. Just ask anyone who works with children in the area of nutrition care: dietitians, nurses, doctors, teachers, supervisors at work, etc. Poor nutrition often leads to stunted grown, a measurable decrease in cognitive function, slowed maturity, less physical activity, learning distractions and increases in illness and injury.
Whirl Peas: (Some) "food-insecure" households have children but no father in sight. Most of the mothers settled for sperm donors rather than husbands. We the taxpayers should not be forced to support mothers who make bad judgments like this. The fact that we have "free" school breakfasts and lunches as well as food stamps allows women to keep making bad judgments and duck responsibility for those judgments.
SAWB: I applaud these efforts and would like to see more Georgians get involved. After my father retired, he spent his time working at a local food bank, and my family continues to support it. Providing the basic staples for a family each week is really not that expensive. Also, since families receive actual food, cash and credit fraud is significantly reduced. However, even with its efforts to reduce fraud, the food bank still had families that appeared not to need the assistance but were just working the system. The classic example of the mom on the iPhone, carrying a designer handbag, who loaded her free groceries into a new Cadillac SUV, were common. One wonders if such people were in need because of their irresponsible behavior. If we could find effective ways to minimize fraud in these programs, those who really need the help would be better served.
