To the Editor:

The most recent U.S. Census revealed a continuation of a high poverty rate: More than 46 million Americans, including one in five children, lived in poverty in 2011. That number is unacceptable for the world’s wealthiest country, and it can be changed if we as a nation decide to address it. History shows us that if poverty becomes a priority among our top elected leaders, the rate will fall. That is why this year’s election needs to focus on finding solutions to this national crisis.

Every 3.6 seconds, a person dies of hunger in our world. About 75 percent of them are children.