Child advocates praise Congress for passing child nutrition bill that will help millions

WASHINGTON – Voices for America’s Children today applauded Congress for passing The Healthy, Hunger-free Kids Act (S. 3307).  The bill provides more nutritious school lunches, expands after school meals and is a significant first step in reducing childhood hunger and obesity.

“As millions of families struggle to put food on the table, passage of this nutrition bill could not come soon enough. With more than one in four children struggling with hunger and one in three obese or overweight, the health and wellness of America’s children must be a top priority,” Bill Bentley, president and CEO of Voices for America’s Children, said.

Voices for America’s Children (Voices) is the nation’s largest network of multi-issue child advocacy organizations, with members in 45 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The Voices network remained concerned that benefit cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps) were being used to pay for the bill. But the bill passed today remained the best chance to bolster child nutrition programs, and child advocates expressed hope for restoring the SNAP cuts soon.

“Student underachievement, childhood obesity, and childhood hunger are three of the most pressing issues America faces today,” said Chris Watney, president of Colorado Children’s Campaign, a Voices member organization.  “Child nutrition programs can address all three, and that’s why this bill is a victory for kids.”

“Children who get healthy nutritional meals have a better opportunity to succeed in school and life,” said Amy Nicholls Swanson, executive director of Voices for Ohio’s Children and chair of the Voices for America’s Children Member Leadership Council.  “The child nutrition legislation passed today will make meals healthier and more available – in schools, child care centers, and after school programs – in a great step forward for America’s children.”

The Senate passed The Healthy, Hunger-free Kids Act last August.

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As the nation’s largest network of multi-issue child advocacy organizations, Voices for America’s Children (Voices) has been on the forefront of every major child policy victory for the past quarter-century. With 60 members nationwide, Voices speaks up for kids, and mobilizes and advocates for public policies to improve the lives of all children, especially those most vulnerable, throughout the United States. Visit us at www.voices.org.

Voices is a founding member of the Children’s Leadership Council, a coalition of more than 50 leading national policy and advocacy organizations. www.childrensleadershipcouncil.com.