The Principal of Montpelier Elementary School, Tim Franke, knows that the reason a child acts out in school may be hunger. “Students will be uncomfortable and when asked what is the trouble, may admit that they had not eaten that day or even the night before,” reported Tim Franke to the Hunger Council of Washington County last week. The Council, a group of about 35 concerned community members, including directors of local and state organizations, clergy, food service directors, managers of food pantries, and representatives of the VT congressional delegation, was convened four years ago by the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger in partnership with Northfield Savings Bank.

The Hunger Council invited school principals, nurses, and food service directors in the county to talk about how hunger is affecting their students. According to a recent survey, 1 in 5 Vermont families with children went without food in the previous year because they did not have enough money. The Council heard that many students have trouble paying even the reduced price of 40¢ for lunch as families have lost jobs or had hours cut. Hunger is both a sign of greater problems in the family and also has far reaching effects on a child’s ability to learn.

Betty Hammond, Food Service Director at Montpelier Schools, reported that the “students are so hungry on Mondays, we can’t seem to fill them up. We wonder if they ate over the weekend.” Mark Moody, the School Resource Officer from the Montpelier Police Department, described that families are prevented from seeking help because of pride. “It goes against people’s culture to ask for help, but students are going without food.” Moody told the Council that educators and first responders need to recognize hunger as one of the hidden signs of when a child and their family are in trouble. He described that to cope with the pain of hunger, children will sometimes turn to drugs or other self-destructive behaviors. “We often pay attention to the violence and other dysfunction, but the hunger goes unnoticed,” notes Moody.

The Hunger Council concluded with plans to inform first responders and educators about the “hunger crisis” and to encourage the public to take advantage of the nutrition resources by applying for free/reduced price school meals anytime during the school year and visiting www.vermontfoodhelp. com for information on 3SquaresVT (formerly food stamps). The Hunger Councils of Washington and Chittenden counties have been interviewing community members throughout the year to document the fraying of the human service safety net. They will report their findings on May 13 to the gubernatorial candidates.