Contact: Ryan Flaherty, rflaherty@strength.org
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, the Census Bureau released its annual report on poverty in the U.S. for 2024. This year’s study shows child poverty rates at 13.4%, which is statistically unchanged from 2023. This is according to the Supplemental Poverty Measure, which takes into account the impact of government assistance and other resources. The following is a statement from George Kelemen, Senior Vice President for Share Our Strength and its No Kid Hungry campaign:
“Too many kids are still facing poverty, and it’s about to get worse. Today’s poverty report shows millions of families are still struggling to make ends meet and put food on the table. As the cost of food continues to rise, even more kids will face hunger.
“Moreover, the nearly $200 billion in cuts to SNAP that Congress passed this summer will make it significantly harder for those facing poverty to feed their children. Millions of families will lose access to SNAP altogether.
“These cuts and changes to SNAP not only punish working families but will also make it nearly impossible for some states to continue administering one of our nation’s most effective anti-hunger programs. We know where this leads–more kids facing poverty and hunger.
“It’s not too late to change course. Congress must act now to reverse these devastating changes to vital assistance programs.”
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About No Kid Hungry
No child should go hungry in America. But millions of kids in the United States live with hunger. No Kid Hungry is working to end childhood hunger by helping launch and improve programs that give all kids the healthy food they need to thrive. This is a problem we know how to solve. No Kid Hungry is a campaign of Share Our Strength, an organization committed to ending hunger and poverty.