Teachers across the country are growing increasingly worried about childhood hunger, with three-quarters reporting students come to school hungry, a nationally representative survey of U.S. teachers found.
Proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a federal food assistance program serving more than 41 million Americans, could exacerbate an already dire issue, experts say.
Around 40% of SNAP benefits go to children, per USDA data.
“SNAP is one of the most effective tools we have as a nation to address childhood hunger,” Sarah Steely, director of No Kid Hungry Virginia, said.
“It provides families with that extra help to put food on the table so that kids can have access to consistent nutrition all year round, especially filling the void during school breaks.”
Nearly 8 in 10 (78%) of teachers said they were concerned about food insecurity in the communities where they teach, per a survey of 1,000 K-12 public school teachers.
It was commissioned by meal kit provider HelloFresh in partnership with No Kid Hungry, a campaign focused on ending childhood hunger.
“Teachers are sounding the alarm that the state of hunger in this country and in their classrooms is really unacceptable,” Steely said.
She added that the stark figure shows “we’re failing our students and that we need to do better.”
About three-quarters (74%) of teachers said they see students come to school hungry at least monthly, per the survey.
About six in 10 teachers (61%) reported knowing firsthand that their students are experiencing hunger.
Food prices skyrocketed during the pandemic, but have continued to climb since, growing 23.6% from 2020 to 2024 and outpacing overall inflation, per the U.S. Economic Research Service.
