Child poverty in the US has reached record levels, with almost 17 million children now affected. A growing number are also going hungry on a daily basis,BBC reports

A nationwide charity Feeding America, which operates 200 food banks and feeds 37 million people each year, including 14 million children say the food problem has been reflected  across America.

The charity says that, in total, nearly 17 million US children live in homes where getting enough healthy food is not something they can count on.

For some families, cheap and easy to prepare food can mean unhealthy choices like pizza – increasing the likelihood of obesity and health problems later in life.

In many areas schools take part in a “backpack” programme, set up to deliver food parcels to the most vulnerable on a Friday – so that they have enough to eat over the weekend.

By UP