Abstract
When 1 in 6 people in the country is living in a food insecure household, that is an outrage. A country as wealthy as ours– wealthy enough to end hunger even in hard times like those we have been experiencing– should not countenance the moral blight of hunger. Those of us who work to reduce and eventually end hunger in this country cannot succeed, however, by making moral arguments alone. What is needed in addition to move voters, policymakers and institutions to act is a strong evidence base that establishes the causes of hunger, the consequences of hunger for individuals involved, the breadth of the population affected, and the practical strategies to address hunger.
The articles in this journal illuminate many of these topics while exploring the impacts of federal nutrition programs and deepening the case that economic and nutrition supports for families reduce food insecurity and mediate the impacts of poverty and food insecurity, particularly for children.
Author Biography
Jim Weill has been President of the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) since February 1998. Jim has devoted his entire professional career to reducing hunger and poverty, protecting the legal rights of children and poor people, and expanding economic security, income and nutrition support programs and health insurance coverage.
Prior to joining FRAC, he was at the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) as Program Director and General Counsel. He led CDF’s efforts in 1985 that produced the first major expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit. Jim also oversaw CDF’s Medicaid expansion, child care, and child support enforcement reform efforts, and was a key leader of the campaign to pass the Children’s Health Insurance Program in 1997.
Before CDF, Mr. Weill was Deputy Director and Director of Federal Litigation at the Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago. He litigated major law reform and class action cases in the federal courts of appeals and Supreme Court on Social Security, Medicaid, AFDC, SNAP/Food Stamps and other public benefits issues, and the rights of children born out of wedlock.
Recommended Citation
Weill, Jim
(2012)
"Food Insecurity in America: A Call to Action,"
Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk: Vol. 3:
Iss.
1, Article 1.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.58464/2155-5834.1087
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/childrenatrisk/vol3/iss1/1
