Welcome to the F4 blog, where you can learn about hunger, food insecurity, and what you can do

F4’s mission is to end world hunger by providing access to excess food, and the best place to start is in our own backyard: Chester County. Over the past 20 years, the average wage, household income and personal income have all risen. However, child poverty has risen 55%, more than any of the Philadelphia suburban counties. Children make up half of the SNAP recipients in our area.

Hunger and food insecurity have longer lasting impacts than just an empty stomach. The value of lost lifetime earnings as a result of hunger and food insecurity was $19.2 billion in 2010, according to the Hunger in America national report published by the Center for American Progress. That’s a staggering amount of loss for a fixable problem.

Every school district in Chester County saw a rise in the share of students eligible for free and reduced meals at school, a clear sign that hunger and poverty is hitting families in all parts of the county. While the need rose, the number of children receiving breakfast at school remains low. Even in the school districts with the highest levels of school breakfast participation, less than one-in three students received school breakfast in 2012 (www.pccy.org).

With the end of the school year in sight, we need to do what we can to help families in our community who are struggling. We need people to mobilize, and get involved with organizations who are helping these people. If you are interested in helping, please contact us to see how you can help!