There are high percentages of children who face hunger in rural West Michigan. Common causes of child hunger include poverty, the rising cost of essential goods and limited food access, all of which have lasting negative physical and psychological effects on children.

With one out of eight children in Michigan being food insecure, according to Kelly Reitsma’s article The State of Childhood Hunger in West Michigan and the Upper Peninsula, child hunger is a reality many face. Read more to learn about the causes and impacts of child hunger and see how you can create brighter futures for food insecure children and their families.

Causes of Child Hunger in Rural West Michigan

Hunger is a physical effect that results from food insecurity. Children who are food insecure do not have continual access to enough food for a healthy lifestyle, as the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA ERS) describes.

There are a number of factors that contribute to child hunger and food insecurity. Causes can range from poverty, low household income and unforeseen expenses to unaffordable housing and a lack of adequate food storage, as Reitsma describes in her article.

Economic Causes

Low family income increases the risk of child hunger. When families must choose between paying bills or buying food, they face an impossible situation. Food is often the first essential need that families reduce during hardship due to its flexibility. As the cost of living and groceries has risen, the quantity and quality of food families can afford has decreased.

Below are two charts that show the living wage calculation and costs of typical expenses for Newaygo County. This data has been gathered by The Living Wage Calculator and was last updated in February 2024. Additionally, there is similar data available via the link for other West Michigan counties. Take a look at the charts below for a snapshot of what expenses low income Newaygo County residents experience.

Living Wage Calculation for Newaygo County

Typical Expenses for Newaygo County

As seen in the chart above, high housing costs are often a significant burden for low income families. When families do not have access to affordable housing, a higher percentage of their income goes toward housing costs, and less is available for other necessities, such as food.

Situational Causes

Food waste can also impact child hunger as it can be challenging for low income families to properly store their food. Families may have limited space to store food properly, lack electricity or water or have limited access to a refrigerator or freezer. Having the capabilities to store food safely can help families preserve and prepare the food they purchase.

Impacts of Child Hunger

Child hunger has a number of negative effects on those who experience it. From influencing child development to negatively impacting physical and mental health, there can be many impacts.

Impacts on Child Development

Children who face hunger develop differently than those who do not. As Reitsma discusses in her article, hunger can impact how children’s brains and bodies develop, changing how they think, learn and behave.

According to No Kid Hungry in their article, Effects of Hunger on Children’s Development, hunger and health are closely linked. There can also be long-term effects, even for children with brief experiences with hunger. Cognitive development in children is greatly impacted by lack of proper nutrition. For example, infants and toddlers with iron deficiencies often experience developmental delays. For school-age children, a lack of nutrition brings difficulties with children’s abilities to think clearly, recall information and reason well, as No Kid Hungry explains.

Unfortunately, children who experience hunger are at a higher risk to have physical and mental health issues later in life.

Impacts on Physical Health

Child hunger also impacts physical health. Heather Hartline-Grafton and Sandra G. Hassink outline a number of health concerns for children experiencing food insecurity and hunger in their article, Food Insecurity and Health: Practices and Policies to Address Food Insecurity among Children. They list a number of negative health effects, such as: “low birth weight,” “iron deficiency anemia,” “cardiometabolic risk factors,” “high blood pressure,” “more frequent colds and stomach aches,” “asthma” and risks for poor mental health.

Because food insecurity is linked to poverty and low-income, these health concerns can often worsen because families can’t afford the medicine needed to treat illness. No family should have to make decisions about whether to buy medicine, put food on the table or pay other bills. All of these factors combined can multiply the effects of food insecurity and hunger as there is no simple solution for families in these situations.

Impacts on Mental Health and Behavior

Children’s mental health and behavior are affected by food insecurity and hunger as well. Hartline-Grafton and Hassink go on to explain how food insecurity impacts children’s mental health causing depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation. Childhood hunger can sometimes even lead to substance abuse disorders as No Kid Hungry describes. These issues can stem from children forming unhealthy attachments with parents and caregivers and from the lack of stability in their lives. Lack of proper nutrients to support brain development, combined with the stress of food insecurity, presents numerous challenges for children both during periods of hunger and later in life.

Impacts on Education

As seen in the sections above, there are a number of negative effects that result from childhood hunger. All of these factors can contribute to children struggling in school. Without proper nutrition and food security, children will come to school unable to focus and often cope with these challenges in unhealthy ways.

In No Kid Hungry’s article, How Does Hunger Affect Learning?, they dive into how food insecurity and hunger impact school performance. Educators see effects such as difficulties concentrating, poor academic performance, increased behavioral issues and more frequent illness, as No Kid Hungry describes. These challenges cause hungry children to fall behind their peers academically, leading to additional obstacles later in life.

Amount of Children Affected by Hunger in Rural West Michigan

Unfortunately, there is a high percentage of children who face hunger in rural West Michigan. The table below, created by Kids Count Data Center which is funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, illustrates how the amount of children who experience food insecurity has increased from 2021 to 2022.

Children with Food Insecurity in Michigan, Ages Birth to 17

These counties do not represent the entirety of rural West Michigan but were chosen for this article because they are five counties where TrueNorth has a significant presence.

With the complexity of food insecurity, there are multiple factors that contribute to this increase. For a broader look at food insecurity and its causes that contribute to child hunger, check out our blog post, “The Realities of Food Insecurity in Rural West Michigan.”

How to Help End Child Hunger in Rural West Michigan

You can step in and help children in need. In order to help end child hunger, everyone needs to work together.

How TrueNorth is Helping End Child Hunger

At TrueNorth Community Services, we have a number of resources to assist food insecure children and their families. We work to meet people where they are through comprehensive programs to ultimately move families further on their paths to self-sufficiency.

TrueNorth offers an onsite Food Center and Mobile Food Pantry where families can receive nutritional food. We also partner with Feeding America for their food rescue initiative. Through this initiative, we work with local businesses to take food they would otherwise dispose of, that is still safe to eat, and have available in our Food Center. This helps us provide more fresh fruits and vegetables to those in need. Additionally, we offer programs that reduce poverty and food waste, guide collaborative food security efforts and bring food and nutrition-related resources to those in need as well.

During the school year, we also help families feed their children on the weekends through our Weekend PowerPacks initiative. TrueNorth fills bags with non-perishable food items and delivers the bags to students in need at school. This initiative ensures children have enough to eat over the weekend when they don’t have access to school meals.

Summer is a difficult time for children and families because children are no longer receiving meals at school. To help meet this need, TrueNorth partnered with Holton Public Schools for the second summer. Together, we distributed over 46,000 meals this year to area youth as part of the Meet Up and Eat Up initiative.

You can take steps to end child hunger by getting involved with TrueNorth.

How You Can Help End Child Hunger

You can give our children in need a hand up. We have many opportunities at TrueNorth for you to make an impact on area youth and families. From volunteering in the Food Center and packing Weekend PowerPacks to donating money and food items to our Hunger Prevention programs, you can make a real difference.

You can also help end child hunger by participating in our signature Hunger Prevention fundraiser, Empty Bowls, in October. Combining soup, art and love, Empty Bowls brings together kindhearted individuals like you to fight hunger and food insecurity in our community. Come and enjoy a simple lunch of soup and bread. You will also take home a hand-painted bowl as a reminder of all the empty bowls in our community.

Join our fight to end child hunger today and know you are building brighter futures.