Carlene Coombs, Daily HeraldUtah state Rep. Tyler Clancy hosts a panel about food insecurity at the Provo Library on Thursday, June 27, 2024.
State Rep. Tyler Clancy hosted a panel in Provo on Thursday night with representatives from Tabitha's Way Local Food Pantry, the Provo City School District Board of Education, the American Heart Association and Utahns Against Hunger in the hopes of bringing people together to discuss paths to fighting food insecurity.
Panelists focused on discussing how to reduce stigma for people who need assistance and addressing food insecurity in schools and among families.
Provo City School District has the highest rate of children in poverty in the county, according to Utahns Against Hunger, with 16% of school-aged children in that category. Comparatively, 6% of school-aged children experience poverty in Nebo School District and 5% in Alpine School District, data shows.
Additionally, according to data from Fox 13, students have more than $431,000 in school lunch debt in Alpine School District, more than $52,000 in Provo School District and $113,000 in Nebo School District.
Addressing hunger in schools is essential, said Provo school board member Meg Van Wagenen, because children can't learn as well when they are worried about their next meal.
"We do have to think about the whole child, and I think food security is part of that," she said.
School districts in Utah County, alongside the Utah Food Bank, are participating in summer nutrition programs to provide lunches for families while school is out.
Alpine School District is operating a program for lunch and breakfast at nine schools in June, and Provo School District has a program going from June 3 to July 18. Nebo School District will provide meals at various community parks this summer as well.
According to Utah News Dispatch, Utah is one of 13 states that does not participate in a federal program that provides families with $120 per child during the summer months to offset reduced access to school lunch programs.
Noah Miterko, government relations manager for the American Heart Association, said he worked with lawmakers this year to try to expand free school lunch programs and, while that bill ultimately failed, he said communities and organizations have to continue educating and keep trying.
This session, Clancy asked the Legislature for $4 million to expand free school meals for families who qualify for reduced lunch programs.
During Thursday's panel, Clancy and other panelists said while they weren't successful this year, they will continue to lobby for assistance in addressing food insecurity, specifically for children.
"We talked to a lot of lawmakers and none of them were hostile to the idea that students, kids shouldn't go hungry," Miterko said. "Hunger is an adult problem thrust upon kids and we all agree that this is something we need to take care of."
Panelists also discussed how food insecurity has increased over the last few years, specifically after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wendy Osborne with Tabitha's Way said there has been a 30% increase in people accessing food pantries and about 37% of her clients are spending 50% or more of their monthly income on housing.
"Everybody's numbers are up. Resources are low, the numbers are up. So, a lot of people (are) in need, and we know that food is one of the first things that is cut from an individual's budget," she said.
While much of Thursday's panel focused on food insecurity among children, one attendee who works with Meals on Wheels said the program also saw an increase in demand for seniors during the pandemic.
The Meals on Wheels program also is in need of additional volunteers to deliver the hundreds of meals the program provides to seniors daily.
Panelists discussed how to reduce stigma for people needing to access resources, emphasizing it is up to the community to help others feel comfortable asking for help.
"We as a community need to start having these authentic conversations about (how) it's OK to say, 'I need help,'" Osborne said.
Neal Rickard, a child nutrition advocate with Utahns Against Hunger, said one of the most common things his organization sees are people who need help but are worried they are taking benefits away from other people in need.
"But these programs are for everyone," he said. "That's why they're here. If everybody is too shy to accept them, they're not helping anyone."
Clancy noted that while there could be legislative solutions to help fight food insecurity, the government can't help people take the first step to ask for help.
"There's not a bill that we can pass at the Legislature or at the (city) council or the school board that can help people build that inner dignity," he said. "That can only come from us ... that community element."