As children return to school, we're pleased to report that there's good news on the issue of hunger in our state.
As we reported last week, the percentage of Missouri households that report struggles to buy food has declined steadily for the past eight years. That's according to a study from the nonprofit Food Research and Action Center released early this month.
FRAC data show Missouri is ranked 27th in the nation in food hardship, with one being the worst.
Missouri's ranking puts us in the upper half nationwide, and we're improving constantly.
One thing that helps us improve is the dedicated charity organizations we have, particularly here in Mid-Missouri.
Organizations such as the United Way, The Samaritan Center and The Salvation Army work to combat hunger, among other things.
The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri is another great organization. Its Buddy Pack Program sends kids home with food over the weekend. Some children who qualify for free or reduced lunches during the school week don't get enough food over the weekend.
It costs $180 to supply one child with Buddy Packs for a whole school year.
As the program enters its 14th year, it got a big boost from Missouri Employers Mutual. From Aug. 7-11, it matched donations to the Buddy Pack Program up to $25,000.
That boost will, hopefully, help the program ensure area children have enough to eat during the school week and on weekends.
The Food Research and Action Center works to eradicate poverty-related hunger and under-nutrition in the United States. It attempts to identify the connections between poverty, hunger and obesity among low-income people. It also conducts research on the extent of hunger, its effects and solutions.
One solution we would like to see is more education on nutrition and cooking. Links have been shown between poverty and poor diets.
Classes could show area needy families that putting healthy, tasty food on the table each night doesn't have to be expensive or even very time-consuming.
A 2017 study by the Institute of Economic Affairs shows healthy food is actually cheaper than unhealthy food. So why do people choose foods that are more expensive and less healthy? It's because people go for taste and convenience above cost, the study concluded.
However, for some families, education could make the difference if they were taught meal planning, grocery buying and cooking skills.