Hunger in the US

Yesterday on my walk to the Strip, I came across the above bus sign.  I thought it was quite a clever advertisement and made me think back to the Pittsburgh Health Corps that the training committee and I put together last month.

Here are some staggering hunger statistics in the United States:

• 1 in 6 Americans do not have access to enough food; more than 50 million Americans are not food secure
• Hunger is not only a problem that affects those who struggle with poverty and homelessness.  36% of individuals have at least one working adult in their household
• There are more than 17 million children living in food-insecure households
• Hunger has a huge impact in rural communities.  More than 2 million rural households  experience food insecurity

In order to qualify for government assistance (SNAP) you have to make less than the federal poverty guidelines.  Here are the Federal Poverty Guidelines for 2011.  Keep in mind that there is no difference if you are living in an urban (more expensive) or rural area - it is the same across the board.  Could you imagine trying to support a family of four in DC on $22,350?

 

For another portion of the training, we showed a variety of videos to help spark a discussion of hunger in the US, Allegheny County and at our sites.  Alexis (my roommate) found several videos from a competition called Faces of Hunger.  The videos are about 10 minutes each and I pulled out the three most powerful ones.  If you can, watch the first and second ones.  They give hunger a face - something that is many times overlooked in America today.

• Food for Thought: What is Hunger in America?
• Faces of Hunger (Hunger in America)
• Faces Overlooked 

The economic recession had two major impacts on food banks/pantries:

1. More people than ever are relying on food banks (distribute food to organizations and government organizations) and food pantries (soup kitchens, shelters, schools, religious organizations, etc)
2. Overall donations (both monetary and food) are down
1. As a side note, while many food banks do receive help from large food companies, many of the donations are high density, nutritionally void foods like chips and soda and/or foods that have sodium counts.

I ask you to take some time over the next few days and weeks to think about hunger in your community; those who you lease expect could be suffering from hunger and/or living in food insecure homes. 

Think about giving back to your local food bank/pantry as we enter into the holiday season