Nutrition and Child Well-Being

 

Child neglect can take many forms: Physical, emotional, medical, and educational. By law, a parent or guardian is required to provide shelter and an adequate amount of food for their children.

 

But what is the legal standard of nutrition for a child? As long as a child is receiving food and drink—and not starving, being deprived of food or drink for prolonged periods, and not malnourished—the sustenance provided doesn’t have to be of a highly nutritious standard.

 

When CPS investigates a report, caseworkers look for reasons why a family might be struggling to provide food, as they check for certain safety factors:  Is the parent unwilling to provide it? Is the parent using money allocated for it to fuel a drug or alcohol addiction instead? Or (in rare cases) is the parent withholding it as a disciplinary measure?

 

More often than not, however, families who may be experiencing food insecurity are struggling due to financial barriers. The reality is that kids consume a lot, growing teenagers in particular have big appetites, healthy food costs more—and wages and food stamps don’t cover everything.

 

While poor nourishment can negatively impact a child’s well-being, poverty can often be a root cause of what’s keeping a family from providing healthy food to their children—not neglect.

In our region, the number of children living in poverty is 18%, and that number is increasing. In the City of Rochester, a staggering one out of every two children lives in poverty.

 

“It’s expensive to eat healthy,” said Whitley Hasty, mother of two young children and WIC recipient.

 

In 2023, U.S. consumer prices for all items rose 3.4%, with an increase of 2.7% in food prices. For families already experiencing inequities in housing options, employment opportunities and lower income levels, these households have been hit the hardest by inflation.

 

“A lack of public transportation (due to geographic isolation) can create a barrier to accessing healthy food choices,“ Hasty said. All too often, corner stores— which typically carry only processed or packaged items with very limited fresh fruit and vegetable offerings—are the only option within walking distance for many families to purchase food. 

Foodlink is a familiar nonprofit name in the Rochester area, serving as the hub of the emergency food system across a 10-county service area. The organization is known for its dedication to ensuring that no one in our community goes hungry, by addressing both the symptoms and root causes of food insecurity.

 

But what you may not know is that Foodlink has been operating a mobile Curbside Market for the past decade. This farmer’s market on wheels is stocked with fresh fruits and vegetables and select grocery items, and accepts public assistance benefits like WIC and SNAP.

 

“Foodlink’s Curbside Market was the first mobile WIC vendor in the country” said Hasty, who is also the Benefits Navigation Coordinator for Foodlink. In her role, Hasty helps the community understand eligibility for food assistance programs like WIC and SNAP, and finds other access points for improving food security.

 

“By bringing the Curbside Market into marginalized communities, we make it easy for families to purchase healthy, affordable food,” she said.

Mandated reporters can help by learning to recognize the difference between neglect and a family experiencing food insecurity. When you see a family struggling, consider connecting them to a resource in the community: food banks, places that offer free meals, or the Curbside Market.

 

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, more children in the United States suffer from malnutrition due to dietary imbalances than due to nutritional deficiencies. Some signs of malnutrition include changes in skin appearance, bruises, rashes, thin hair, and lack of energy or other behavioral changes.

 

“Many children eat meals only in school,” said Hasty, who has spoken in front of the Senate on behalf of the nonprofit Hunger Free America. As a mother and an advocate, she sees the tremendous need for government assistance to help fill in the gaps when families are struggling to provide food for their children.

 

“One of the biggest myths about people receiving food stamps is that they don’t work,” Hasty said. “The economy has changed and many of us are still feeling the impacts of COVID. I want to remove the stigma around receiving assistance. There is no shame in needing help.”

 

Do your research ahead of time to know what supports are available in the area. If you see a child in need of food, consider referring them to those resources and services, if that is an appropriate intervention. Depending on the circumstances, you don’t always need to report a family to support a family.