In Anna Quindlen’s essay, School’s Out for Summer, she discusses what a huge problem child hunger has become and how it affects thousands of families across the nation. Anna’s essay informed the reader of how the problem still exists, and how people are taking steps to prevent and end child hunger.
Anna provides the reader with evidence from food banks and summer programs that hunger is still a major problem in the United States. “During the rest of the year fifteen million students get free or cut-rate lunches at school, and many of them get breakfast too.” Ultimately, this shows that many families across the nation cannot afford to feed their children adequate meals three times a day. During the summer months, Anna states that “only three
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“Of all the humiliations attached to being poor in a prosperous nation, not being able to feed your kids is at the top of the list.” Many parents are ashamed of getting assistance from the government because it is seen almost as a disgrace. Anna also suggests that many do not sign up for government assistance because, “The average length of a food stamp application is twelve often impenetrable pages; a permit to sell weapons is just two.” Such a long process just to get food for your family may seem like a very daunting task that many parents may not have time for.
In Washington D.C, they have “done better than any other city in the country feeding hungry kids, sending fire trucks into housing projects to distribute leaflets about lunch locations, running a referral hotline, and radio announcements.” Anna’s evidence shows that in D.C, they are making an effort to feed the children and put the issue into the public eye. While many cities do not make such an effort such as Washington D.C does, many do have food banks that families can go to in times of need. While food banks can be helpful, they also cannot always accommodate for a large amount of families in need. “And last Thanksgiving a food bank in Connecticut gave away four thousand more turkeys than the year before and still ran out of birds.”
Anna’s essay, School’s Out for Summer, displays evidence that child hunger is a major problem in the United