Everyone Needs to Eat
Some Kids Don't Have Enough to Eat
Facts About Nutrition
How Connecticut Food Bank Works
Warehouse Tours & Speakers
Kids Helping Kids
Information for Parents and Educators
Games & Activities
Food Programs that Help Children
About Hunger
Useful Links

Hunger 101 - An interactive education program addressing the issues of hunger, food security and poverty on national, state and local levels. This link and all materials are courtesy of the Atlanta Community Food Bank.

Everyone Needs to Eat

Food tastes good but that’s not the only reason we eat it. We all need to eat because food gives us energy and keeps us healthy and strong. It is especially important for kids to eat plenty of healthy food, because they are still growing.

But not every kid has enough food to eat. In fact, one out of every four people at a soup kitchen is a child. Right now, there are almost 14 million children in the United States who don’t have enough food to eat to lead a healthy life.

Fortunately, many people are working to get food to children and families who need it. Connecticut Food Bank and the community agencies we serve help provide food to people in need. You can help, too!

Facts About Nutrition

Food gives us energy and keeps us healthy and strong. But not just any food. People, especially kids, need to eat a variety of good-for-you foods to stay healthy and grow up strong.

No single food contains all the vitamins and nutrients you need, so you should make sure to eat several kinds of food – including fruits and vegetables – every day.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has set Dietary Guidelines to help people make healthy food choices. The Dietary Guidelines describe a healthy diet as one that:

• Has a lot of fruits and vegetables, either fresh, frozen or canned
• Includes whole grain products like whole wheat bread and brown rice
• Emphasizes fat-free or low-fat dairy products, like milk, cheese and yogurt
• Includes lean meat and poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts
• Avoids fat, salt, and added sugars (for example, avoid cookies, donuts and high-sugar cereal)

The U.S.D.A. has recently created the "MyPyramid Food Guidance System," which provides many options to help Americans make healthy food choices and to be active every day. You can customize the "MyPyramid" based on your age and physical activity. To learn more, visit www.MyPyramid.gov.

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Some Kids Don’t Have Enough to Eat

Eating a variety of foods is easier when you have a full pantry and refrigerator. But not every family can afford to buy different kinds of food to eat every day, so a lot of kids don’t get enough nutrients like fiber, vitamins A and C, calcium and iron. These kids get tired more easily in school, can’t pay attention to their teacher, and have trouble concentrating on their schoolwork.

Many kids don’t eat breakfast, lunch or dinner because they don’t have enough food to eat or money to buy their meals. Other kids and families don’t have enough money to buy healthy foods so they fill up on food that is cheap, like fast food and junk food, that aren’t good for them. Neither of these is healthy.

Schools have breakfast and lunch programs so students can eat the food they need to do well in school. Some kids pay for their meals, others get a discount or eat for free, depending on how much they can afford.

But what happens after school, or during the summer, when school is out? Many kids go hungry because there is no food at home for them to eat. This is one reason why many families go to food pantries and soup kitchens to provide meals for their children.

For information about school breakfast and lunch programs, and the Summer Food Service Program, visit the CT State Department of Education website by clicking here. You can also contact Infoline for information on summer feeding programs in your area; call 211 or visit www.InfoLine.org

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How Connecticut Food Bank Works

Connecticut Food Bank (CFB) accepts donations of food products from the food industry including farmers and other growers, manufacturers, and grocery stores. We also collect food from food drives and from local residents who want to help people in need.

CFB gives this donated food to 650 food assistance programs such as soup kitchens, shelters, food pantries, and adult and child day care centers. These programs then give the food to people in need. For example, soup kitchens prepare meals like lunch and dinner free for members of the community. Food pantries hand out bags of groceries for individuals and families to take home.

CFB serves agencies in six of Connecticut's eight counties: Fairfield, Litchfield, Middlesex, New Haven, New London and Windham. For a list of some of these agencies, click here.

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Take a Tour of Connecticut Food Bank

Connecticut Food Bank offers tours of our East Haven, Fairfield and Waterbury warehouses. Your class, club or organization will learn hands-on how a food bank works. Have an adult contact us to arrange a date and time.

Request a Speaker

CFB also offers speakers for your class, club or organization. Staff members are available, free of charge, to speak about CFB, the issue of hunger in Connecticut, and how you can help in the fight against hunger. Have an adult contact us to schedule a speaker.

Special thanks to America's Second Harvest network of food banks for research and information used on this site.

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