With minimal press coverage and little fanfare, both houses of Congress in Washington last week passed proposed budgets calling for severe reductions in funding for programs such as SNAP (food stamps) and Medicaid, including the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), now in place to provide for struggling low income families and children. If not renewed almost all current programs which fund children’s supplemental school meal programs and food for pre-school age children and their mothers will expire Sept. 30. Congress seems on a path to balance the budget on the backs of the poor.

These budgets proposals pose a fundamental question for us and our legislators. Can we really consider ourselves a great nation when we allow 49 million of our citizens, including 16 million of our children, to go hungry? The U.S. currently ranks 34th among the 35 industrialized nations in the percentage of our population living in poverty. Since the late 1990s, the rich have been getting richer, the middle class shrinking and the numbers of the poor growing.

Poverty and hunger go hand in hand. Faith based and non-profit organizations ministering to the hungry are well intentioned and admirable in their dedication, but can serve only so many and are straining to provide stopgaps for an increasing number of those in need. The government must do its part with our tax dollars– especially for the children.

Ending Child Poverty Now, a report recently published by the Children’s Defense Fund, lays out specific steps which could be taken to provide the budgetary funding to end child hunger in the U.S. It also makes a compelling case that failing to do so will be more expensive in the long run.

Bread For the World, a national non-profit dedicated to urging our nation’s leaders to support legislation to eliminate poverty, reports that one third of women led households in the U.S. face hunger. And yet ‘Congress is threatening to dismantle the critical nutrition programs that keep millions of women and their children from going hungry.’ It is medically documented that 80 percent of a child’s brain development occurs by age 5. This makes it even more critical that mothers and their young children receive proper nutrition. It is also well established that children who go to school hungry have a more difficult time concentrating and keeping up with grade level achievements and are more prone to behavioral problems. Education is one of the most important keys to breaking the generational cycle of poverty.

Do you find it unacceptable that we should remove essential support for our children’s health? Now is the time to let your elected leaders and representatives know. It is time for the silent majority to speak and express their feelings and yes, even outrage. There are links on both the Bread For The World and Children’s Defense Fund websites that make this easy for you. You just have to find the link, fill out your name and address, hit send and a prewritten email will be sent to your senators and congressman. Or you can go to the house.gov or senate.gov sites and compose your own message. Personal messages have a greater impact. Not only will you receive a return email for your efforts, but these nonprofits tell us that hearing from their constituents on issues DOES have a positive effect on how they vote on important issues such as this.

Feeding our children — such a fundamental and essential need should transcend partisan politics, racial and ethnic prejudices and social divides. Please help us! Contact your Senators and Congressman and urge them to support legislation to feed ALL our children.

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Frank Wnek works with Bread For The World Maine. He lives in Harpswell.