The existence of hunger in a country where people are increasingly likely to be obese is confusing and adds to the challenge facing anti-hunger advocates.  How do you explain that, in the U.S., hunger and obesity are two sides of the same coin? A new report from the Washington Budget and Policy Center helpfully illuminates this paradox. The report notes that the parts of this state where food is grown are some of its hungriest areas, with the least access to affordable fresh food.

In this video moms, in their own words and through their own videos, talk about how difficult it is to know they can’t always feed their hungry children, no matter hard they try.

They talk about having to feed their kids ramen because they can’t afford nutritious produce and whole grains. They talk about the pain of not being able to feed their children at all when the money runs out and they have no one to turn to.

The number of students receiving free or reduced-price school lunches nationwide has hit an all-time high, USA Today is reporting, and Washington is among the states with the highest percentage rise in kids receiving free school meals.  This probably isn’t just a result of the recession, but rather because of some good policies the state is following.

Increased food stamp benefits, through the federal stimulus package, began reaching the hungry—and the grocery stores where they shop—in April.  The recession is also pushing up the number of people on food stamps.  Research by Stateline.org shows that Washington’s Basic Food (food stamp) rolls jumped precipitously in the last year, putting its percentage rise sixth highest in the nation.  

Yet Washington has weathered the recession better than many states, so what’s going on?

Feeding America (the national nonprofit formerly known as America’s Second Harvest) put out a report last week that gives us childhood hunger stats for Washington that we haven’t seen before. Most notably:

• 19 percent of kids in Washington are considered “food insecure”, meaning they don’t get enough nutritious food on a regular basis. (That's 291,234 children.)
• A little more than 18 percent of kids under 5 are food insecure. (73,960 children)