By Chris Paul, Towson University
May 15, 2011
Kitoya Williams sits outside Creative Kids Community Center in Cockeysville. Kitoya is one of 50 millions Americans that live in food insecure households. Photo by Chris Paul/Towson University Student
At the age of 10, most girls go to school and have the sole responsibility of completing their homework. For Kitoya Williams, it was a bit more.
Williams, along with her two younger brothers and younger sister, grew up in a single-parent household in Unionbridge, Md. Her mother did not have a high school diploma and spent a lot of time looking for work. As a result, Williams had to step in.
“I was the big sister and the mother,” said Williams, who is 18 now. “I had to cook and clean while my mother was out. Money was a struggle so food was a struggle.”
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, over 50 million Americans live in food insecure households. Additionally, households with children report food insecurity at almost double the rate as those without children: 21.3 percent compared to 11.4 percent.
In Maryland, about 18 percent of households with children are food insecure. This equates to roughly 260,000 children living where there is no guarantee of food according the state’s website. Furthermore, the Maryland Food Bank reported in 2010 that over 25 percent of those served were children under 18 years old.
In 2006, Gov. Martin O’Malley proposed the idea to end childhood hunger in the state by 2015. His main strategy was creating easier access to food stamps.
Food stamps, or the Food Supplement Program, helps low-income households buy food through an electronic benefits transfer system. The number of people in a household and the combined gross monthly income determine the amount of benefits.
In Williams’ case, her family had to bring in no more than $2,794 per month in order to be eligible for the $793 in benefits allotted for five people. With only one source of income from her mother, the Williams relied heavily on food stamps to provide groceries.
“Every month on the 10th our account got money,” said Williams. “Once it came, we would go grocery shopping for the important stuff like food for meals.”
In 2008, 86,882 households with children participated in the food supplement program according to the Governor’s Office for Children. That is a 17.8 percent increase from 2007 and a 45.8 percent increase from 2003.
In Carroll County, where Unionbridge is located, the Williams family was not the only one to participate in FSP. The Maryland Department of Human Resources reported an average 8,077 individual FSP participants in the county last year. In comparison, Baltimore County had 62,408 participants and Baltimore City had 165,759.
When asked how sufficient the FSP was in providing food on a monthly basis, Williams was appreciative.
“We have to limit it. Everyday day we try to make it last until the [EBT] card renews. It’s pretty easy to do that as long as you don’t pig out all the time,” said Williams.
Most states allow participants to purchase any type of food using an EBT card. Restrictions do include alcohol, tobacco, pet food and toiletries.
Consequently, one of the criticisms is that the EBT card needs limitations because of the tendency to spend it on large quantities of soda, candy, and other unhealthy items. One state, Minnesota, is looking at limiting the amount of monthly benefits in order to force participants to spend it on just the necessities. That bill is still in the legislature.
Since 2007, there has been a 72 percent increase in the number of children enrolled in Maryland’s FSP. The state estimates that by 2015, there will be an additional 80,000 children who will be eligible. The goal is to ensure that all of them are receiving benefits.
In the mean time, Williams now has a part time job at Creative Kids Community Center in Cockeysville where she spends her afternoons tutoring kids that come from a similar background.
“The kids are awesome. They aren’t from strong backgrounds too so they teach me and I teach them. I gain a lot of experience from this because when I look at the kids it’s like I’m looking at myself.”
Looking back, Williams is grateful for her childhood. Additionally, her experience has given her the desire to work with kids long-term.
“I’m not going to forget my past or push it to the side. It makes me stronger and I’ve learned so much from everything that happened,” she said smiling. ”My goal is to go to Towson University and graduate with a degree in early childhood development.”
Why? Kitoya hopes to be the director of a day care one day.
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