I attended the recent presentation of organizations vying for the grant allocations. What surprised me were the number of food and safety net organizations asking for funds, and the numbers of people they said were unable to afford things like food, child care, etc. The Boys and Girls Club, for example, said that 81percent of children enrolled had families unable to pay anything for costs of care. Why I was so particularly taken aback is because poverty and the low income of American Canyon residents is rarely talked about at the City Council Meetings (Or at least the ones I have attended). If the statistics and the comments made were accurate, it seems as if American Canyon is facing an enormous hunger problem. For a city of 22,000 residents, the greatest majority of "asks" were for food programs...whether that be pantries, a mobile food delivery service, home delivered meals etc. I was struck with the incongruity of what I see at council meetings, where the emphasis seems to be on presentations from community service organizations focusing on celebrations, community events and "fun" things about American Canyon. But, if 70% of schoolchildren qualify for free lunches, isn't there a bigger problem needing to be addressed? Is hunger the problem in American Canyon that these organizations say it is? And, if so, how can this be a regular agenda item on the council's calendar? While I know that city council members have a lot to do regarding land use and development, is there some way we can establish a clearer picture on poverty rates and city response in American Canyon? Perhaps this can be an item of discussion for a future meeting, or retreat. I know that you all have big plans for the growth of the city, but there seem to be large numbers of people struggling to get by with just the basics of life. Maybe that needs to be looked at, as well.