NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Struggling to find winter clothes, wondering where a meal will come from and stressing about bills is fraught for any adult, and it can be traumatic for children.
Officials with the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth found that life in poverty is a reality for many children in Tennessee and a federal credit helped mitigate some of their situations. However, that program is set to expire on Wednesday.
The annual State of the Child report found a majority of families that received the Child Tax Credit spent some of the funds to buy food. It could have contributed to the decrease in the number of kids going hungry across the state, the report found.
"They're having a tough time and without extending the supports that have helped keep them afloat and have helped kind of mitigate some of those challenges, things could get a lot tougher," said Kylie Graves, who wrote the report.
In some parts of East Tennessee, 1 in 3 families lives below the poverty line — equivalent to a family of four living on less than $26,000 a year, the report said. In many of the same counties, nearly one in four children reported experiencing food insecurity.
"We do see in a lot of the rural areas of the state the children there are just not doing as well as other parts of the state," said TCCY executive director Richard Kennedy.
At Second Harvest Food Bank in Maryville, workers pack meals for more than 12,000 hungry East Tennessee children every week.
"If a child shows signs of being at risk of hunger, then we need to make sure that they are fed," said development director Rachel Ellis. "Most of the children who are really below the poverty level know that food is in their backpack and they’ll hold that backpack the entire rest of the day."
Kennedy said many of the issues outlined in the annual report — access to healthcare and education plus food insecurity — have their roots in poverty.
"I think if you gave me a magic wand and said 'Richard, you only have one wish to be granted that will improve outcomes for children, youth and families, what would it be?' I think my answer would be poverty," he said.