Big Bend Sentinel- Child hunger rampant in Presidio County, study shows

By EMILY JO CURETON

PRESIDIO COUNTY – Forty four percent of all children in Presidio County don’t have access to healthy meals on a regular basis, according to a new study released today, Map the Meal Gap 2011.

That’s 950 kids right here at home who can’t count on daily balanced meals and consequently, can’t count on proper development, mental and physical health, or peace of mind.

In 2010, Presidio County ranked among the five hungriest counties in Texas. This year, 27 percent of the total population and 44 percent of kids were deemed food insecure, which means they lack access, at times, to enough food to lead a healthy active life.

“Did you know that Marfa only has one pantry? And down in Presidio we have over 400 people line up for food boxes once a month, starting at 4am,” West Texas Food Bank spokesperson Paige Phelps commented by email.

West Texas Food Bank serves 21 counties, where children have a cumulative food insecurity rate twelve points above the national average.

While the majority of food insecure kids qualify for federal assistance programs, it’s not an overwhelming majority. In Presidio County, 63 percent are from homes with an annual income at least 185 percent below the poverty threshold, which is $18,500 for a family of three. These families qualify for programs like Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and others.

The remaining 37 percent of food insecure kids come from homes with incomes above $27,000 a year, the minimum amount for a family of two living 185 percent above the poverty threshold. Children from families just above this line are not eligible for WIC assistance.

Currently at Marfa and Presidio ISD ever student gets a free lunch if they want it.

The study reports that 16 percent of the Brewster County population is food insecure, including 26 percent of children. The numbers are similar in Jeff Davis County, where a projected 14 percent of people are food insecure, and 27 percent of children.

According the Map the Meal Gap website, they got their numbers by analyzing “the relationship between food insecurity and indicators of food insecurity (poverty, unemployment, median income, etc.) at the state level”. Then using “the coefficient estimates from this analysis plus information on the same variables defined at the county level to generate estimated food insecurity rates for individuals at the county level”.

The study was funded by the ConAgra Foods Foundation and supported by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation and Nielsen.