Please do a paragraph about this post with this instruction . 

post most have  4 or more  sentences .

 you also have to have a high quality post from a content perspective. This means it also needs to do more than agree with or praise a class mate. If you agree with a classmate, explain why, give an example, share what you learned in the readings

Good nutrition, particularly in the first three years of life, is important for establishing a good foundation that has implications for a child’s future physical and mental health, academic achievement, and economic productivity. Unfortunately, food insecurity is an obstacle that threatens that critical foundation. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), 15.3 million children under 18 in the United States live in households where they are unable to consistently access enough nutritious food necessary for a healthy life.^[i] Although food insecurity is harmful to any individual, it can be particularly devastating among children due to their increased vulnerability and the potential for long-term consequences.(Feeding America,2014) Hunger hurts everyone, but it is especially devastating in childhood because hunger deprives kids of more than just food.

On empty stomachs, kids don’t have the energy to focus, engage, learn and grow. Yet, this is the reality for 1 in 5 children in the U.S. who worry about when they’ll have their next meal.

Globally- Some 21,000 children die every day around the world.

The silent killers are poverty, hunger, easily preventable diseases and illnesses, and other related causes. Despite the scale of this daily/ongoing catastrophe, it rarely manages to achieve, much less sustain, prime-time, headline coverage. (Shar,2011)

From UNICEF, the world’s premier children’s organization, part of the United Nations:

• 1 billion children are deprived of one or more services essential to survival and development
• 148 million under 5s in developing regions are underweight for their age
• 101 million children are not attending primary school, with more girls than boys missing out
• 22 million infants are not protected from diseases by routine immunization
• 7.6 million children worldwide died before their 5th birthday in 2010
• 4 million newborns worldwide are dying in the first month of life
• 2 million children under 15 are living with HIV

Twenty percent or more of the child population in 38 states and D.C. lived in food-insecure households in 2013, according to the most recent data available. The District of Columbia (31%) and Mississippi (29%) had the highest rates of children in households without consistent access to food. (Shar,2011)

The Feeding America network is serving more than 12 million children across the nation. While most children receive food through traditional food pantries, the Feeding America network has a number of programs to help kids get food in other ways. Reaching kids where they are and when they are most in need.(Feeding America,2014) Programs such as:

Back pack program

Kids café.

Summer food service program

School pantry program

SNAP application assistant program.