Angelina Jolie has urged Congress to help families struggling for food during COVID-19: 'Many of these children are going hungry'

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Published on Tuesday, 05 May 2020 15:34

Written by Daily mail

         Angelina Jolie has urged Congress to help families struggling for food.The Maleficent star has called for senior politicians to increase food stamp benefits for families across the United States in a bid to help them amidst the current coronavirus pandemic.'Many of the most vulnerable children in America have missed nearly 740 million meals at school, due to closure resulting from the rapid spread of coronavirus. With parents facing lost jobs and wages, many of these children are going hungry,' she said in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.'While strengthening the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will not alleviate all of the challenges low-income families are facing during the public health emergency, it will help ensure that fewer children go to bed hungry in our country.' It comes after Angelina penned an article about the increase in child abuse amidst the pandemic.Writing in an op-ed, she said: 'Isolating a victim from family and friends is a well-known tactic of control by abusers, meaning that the social distancing that is necessary to stop COVID-19 is one that will inadvertently fuel a direct rise in trauma and suffering for vulnerable children. 'There are already reports of a surge in domestic violence around the world, including violent killings,' said the ex-wife of Brad Pitt.'It comes at a time when children are deprived of the very support networks that help them cope: from their trusted friends and teachers to after-school sports activities and visits to a beloved relative's house that provide an escape from their abusive environment.'COVID-19 has cut children off from their friends, their regular schooling and their freedom of movement. 'With well over a billion young people living under lockdown worldwide, there has been a lot of focus on how to prevent children missing out on their education, as well as how to lift their spirits and keep them joyful in isolation.'This comes after she said it was 'impossible' to be a 'perfect' parent.
         The 'star has Maddox, 18, Pax, 16, Zahara, 15, Shiloh, 13, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 11, with her ex-husband Brad Pitt, and has said parenting her children during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has taught her it's not possible to 'answer all needs' all the time.She said: 'Now, in the midst of this pandemic, I think of all the mothers and fathers with children at home. All hoping they can do everything right, answer all needs, and stay calm and positive. One thing that has helped me is to know that's impossible.'Angelina insisted children 'don't want' their parents to be 'perfect', as long as they can be 'honest' about their mistakes.She added: 'It is a lovely thing to discover that your children don't want you perfect. They just want you honest. And doing your best. In fact, the more room they have to be great where you are weak, the stronger they may become. They love you. They want to help you. So in the end, it's the team you build. And in a way, they are raising you up too. You grow together.'The 44-year-old star also reflected on her 'decision to become a parent' when she adopted Maddox from Cambodia in 2002, and said it 'wasn't hard' to 'dedicate' her life to another human being.Writing in TIME magazine's Parents newsletter, she said: 'I remember the decision to become a parent. It wasn't hard to love. It wasn't hard to dedicate myself to someone and something greater than my life. What was hard was knowing that from now on I needed to be the one to make sure everything was OK. To manage it and make it work. From food to school to medical. Whatever would come. And to be patient.'I realized I stopped my constant daydreaming, instead staying always ready for any break into what I was doing or thinking to answer a need. It was a new skill to acquire.'

 source : Daily mail