Urge our senators to back Hunger-Free Summer for Kids Act
In communities across our state, too many children face a summer filled with hunger. When schools close, the meals these kids rely on also come to an end. Right now, we have the chance to change that story for kids in need.
This month, U.S. Sens. John Boozman, R-Arkansas, Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, Michael Bennet, D-Colorado, Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Joe Donnelly, D-Indiana, and Mark Kirk, R-Illinois, introduced the Hunger-Free Summer for Kids Act (S. 1966), legislation that provides a major step forward in efforts to end summer hunger for millions of children. Today, we need our senators to take a stand and cosponsor this legislation.
The summer meals program helps kids get the nutrition they need when school is out of session. Unfortunately, the program operates under a set of one-size-fits-all regulations that doesn’t adapt to specific needs of different communities. Many kids from low-income families face incredible barriers to accessing summer meals including transportation challenges, extreme weather and unsafe streets.
If this bill becomes part of Child Nutrition Reauthorization in September, it would give states more options to reach hungry kids, especially in hard-to-reach regions, like rural areas or communities currently ineligible to host summer sites. Options for these specific communities could include implementing efficient, proven meal delivery programs and giving states the ability to provide low-income families with a $30 grocery credit during the summer months to purchase healthy foods for their kids.
The Hunger-Free Summer for Kids Act would finally make it possible for more kids to escape summer hunger and get the critical nutrition they need when school is out of session. So much is at stake. With these improvements, as many as 6.5 million more children could have the chance to get the food they need during the summer months.
Success is so close. Today, we must take swift action to build support for this legislation in the Senate.
Robert Nerger
Naalehu
Too many bans make too many criminals
As usual, we are being bombarded with bills to ban something, like Roundup, genetically modified organisms or tobacco. Like the laws against marijuana have been so successful.
Every prohibition creates a black market. Black markets are unregulated and create a new class of criminals who were, the day before, ordinary people. The criminalization of ordinary behavior creates a new class who now risk the possibility of prison and a ruined life. In the legal world, a minor infraction can lead to such inexcusable crimes such as being unable to pay a fine, post bail or worse, missing a court date.
This criminalization of ordinary behavior is what has led to Ferguson, Mo., the Rikers Island suicide and similar events.
“The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others.” — Thomas Jefferson
Ken Obenski
Kaohe, South Kona