NH Hunger Solutions, spearheaded by the Children's Alliance of New Hampshire, is a statewide initiative working to improve children's nutrition and end childhood hunger in New Hampshire. A diverse coalition of business and community leaders is developing a roadmap consisting of short and long term strategies to share with government and human services agencies, policymakers, and families struggling with hunger. NH Hunger Solutions will build support to implement the plan and achieve permanent solutions.
This project will serve the children and families in New Hampshire living in poverty and struggling with hunger and lack of access to affordable healthy food. More than one in ten children in New Hampshire, or approximately 31,000, live in poverty. This number has grown by more than 80% over the last decade from six to eleven percent. According to the Food Research and Action Center, 20.6 percent of New Hampshire households with children, or one in five, experienced food hardship in 2010 more than double the number of households in 2003. Further, the prevalence of low or very low food security in the state rose by 1.1 percent to 8.5 percent between 2006 and 2008 (USDA). Research shows that among children, food insecurity is linked with being overweight or obese: nearly one in three NH children ages 6-12 years are overweight or obese (Foundation for Healthy Communities, 2006) and 15 percent of NH children under 5 years are obese (CDC, 2008).
When the Children’s Alliance first took on this work, it found that New Hampshire lacked a statewide coordinated effort to address issues and barriers families face in feeding themselves. This is the aim of the Children’s Alliance’s NH Hunger Solutions. To succeed it must have at its foundation a clear plan identifying concrete goals and successful strategies to achieve those goals.
Key Objectives
The Children’s Alliance proposes to develop a statewide, comprehensive, strategic plan to eliminate childhood hunger in New Hampshire. The plan will include programmatic and policy recommendations, and will be supported by a broad coalition of food-system, food justice and child-focused organizations and advocates. We propose to achieve this goal through four objectives:
§ Establish the New Hampshire Food Advisory Council
In order to coordinate efforts at the state level, the Children’s Alliance and Food Solutions New England have partnered to establish the first New Hampshire Food Advisory Council. The purpose of the Council is to improve the sustainability and health of our food system and increase access to nutritious, affordable food for all New Hampshire’s citizens– beginning with children. The Food Advisory Council consists of a broad spectrum of organizations representing various sectors of the food system, as well as anti-hunger and child advocates, school officials, businesses, farmers, religious organizations, funders, and community leaders, among others. The inaugural meeting of the Council took place on September 1, 2011 in Concord, NH. For further information and for documents pertaining to the Council click here.
§ Develop the Plan to End Child Hunger in New Hampshire based on an assessment of the extent and causes of hunger in the state using both existing and new data
With an initial focus on child hunger and nutrition, the New Hampshire Food Advisory Council’s first goal will be to develop a Plan to End Childhood Hunger in New Hampshire. This statewide planning effort will build on the strong foundation of 2009 data provided by the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire. Carsey conducted a study using both original and existing data sources to map food access, dietary related health outcomes, and examine food insecurity across the state. The Children’s Alliance believes a deeper community level analysis would be helpful and is working with the Carsey Institute to undertake this study. The results will be released by December 2011 in a report on the extent and causes of hunger.
Using existing data and the above analysis once released, the Food Advisory Council is currently working to identify the key solutions and action steps that will make up the Plan to End Child Hunger. The final plan will be released in the spring of 2012. Moving forward, a coalition of partners will oversee implementation of the plan and monitor its progress.
§ Share the plan with policymakers, families struggling with hunger and food insecurity, relevant governmental agencies, and the human services community to build support for implementation of the plan
The Children’s Alliance, the Food Advisory Council and other key partners will work to publicize the plan. In addition, the plan will be presented in communities across the state and made available in print, online and linked to various partner, state and national websites.
§ Secure needed financial support to implement programmatic and public policy solutions included in the Plan.
NH Hunger Solutions Collaborative Partners
In 2010, the Children’s Alliance established a Steering Committee for this initiative made up of key stakeholders that, in collaboration with the Children’s Alliance, are providing leadership and guidance for the work of the initiative. Members of the Steering Committee include:
o Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire
o Community Catalyst: New England Alliance for Children’s Health
o Food Solutions New England
o Granite United Way
o New Hampshire Community Action Association
o New Hampshire Department of Education, Bureau of Nutrition Programs and Services
o New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Family Assistance
o New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health Services
o New Hampshire Food Bank, A Program of NH Catholic Charities
o Southern New Hampshire Services
o United Way of Northern New Hampshire
o University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension
o University of New Hampshire Law School
The Children’s Alliance welcomes the opportunity to work with organizations and individuals on this exciting initiative to increase access to affordable, nutritious food for New Hampshire’s children. Please contact Erika Argersinger for further information.
OUR FUNDERS
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