Good Afternoon, everyone. One in six Americans will face hunger some time this year. That's one in six people in the wealthiest country in the history of the world. Throughout my adult lifetime, the rich have been getting richer; the middle class has been hollowed out; and the poor remain poor. Recently, USA Today published an article on poverty in America. Here are some of the conclusions:
Today, 15% of the USA -- nearly one in seven Americans -- are considered poor, the highest rate of poverty since 1993. Now among the poor are the college-educated, the former middle-class worker, the suburbanite and the homeowner. They've been hit by layoffs, cuts in work hours, health problems and other crises. They've gone through savings and 401(k)s. They live off food stamps or other government benefits and rely on help from family members and friends.
Numbers released this month by the Census Bureau show staggering trends:
•A record number of Americans are living in poverty -- 46 million. That's more than at any time since the Census Bureau began tracking poverty data in 1959.
•The number of families below the poverty line rose 18%, from 7.3 million in 2006 to 8.6 million in 2010. The poverty line last year was a household income of $22,314 or less for a family of four.
Many of our fellow Americas are forced to choose between food, rent, heat, and the medicines they need every month. The end result is often hunger or "food insecurity", the Orwellian label that hunger was given during the Bush administration.
As many of you know, my mom passed away on October 4th after a long illness. Mom was a true bleeding heart. She collected money for the Heart Fund; she was a Girl Scout leader; and she was a long-time hospital volunteer. She was always willing to donate her time and money to help those in need. In honor of my mom, I would like to offer a challenge. I will donate 25 cents to Feeding America for every recommendation that this diary receives.
Please follow me below the ornate Cheese Doodle, and I will tell you more about that we are doing to try to fight hunger here in New Jersey, as well as the many ways that you can help to fight hunger in our nation.
New Jersey is one of the wealthiest states in the nation, but in 2010 10.3% of our population lived in poverty. A number of organizations here are working to reduce hunger in the Garden State. Here are a few of the efforts:
The Girl Scout Councils in NJ Jersey have developed a patch, Fighting Hunger in New Jersey that is designed for Scouts of all ages statewide. The goal of the patch is:
To increase girls’ understanding and awareness of hunger in New Jersey. To encourage girls to take action and help reduce hunger in their local area.
The New Jersey Agricultural Society formed Farmers Against Hunger in 1996.
Since its inception, Farmers Against Hunger has collected and distributed more than 15 million pounds of produce to the state’s neediest – children, seniors and the working poor.
Dad, DeviousPie, and I have been part of the Yes We CAN! food drives since 2008. The organization was formed by volunteers for Mercer4Obama (it is now a separate organization) who wanted to give something back to our community. Since November of 2008 we have been collecting food and donations for the Crisis Ministry, the largest food bank in the Trenton/ Princeton region. Between November of 2008 and June of 2011, we collected 61 tons (122,000 lbs.) of food.
This summer we have been collecting food and donations at our local Farmers' Market in West Windsor. We use the cash donations that we receive to purchase fresh produce from the farmers. It is a win-win situation for all concerned. Here is a picture of yours truly at the farmers' market a few weeks ago:
All these efforts are laudable, but the the need for food is greater than ever. One in six Americans, and 1 in 4 kids, will face hunger this year. Here is how you can help:
Feeding America locates food surplus and intercepts it on its way to the trash and distributes it to food banks all over the country. They do not buy most of their food, which is why they can provide meals so efficiently. They collect from vendors, grocery stores, and restaurants all over the country. Plenty of food is out there -- the problem is one of logistics, transportation, and distribution.
Because Feeding America redistributes surplus, they can provide healthy meals cheaply. Ninety five cents on every dollar that you donate here goes to food distribution. Donating to Feeding America is one of the most efficient ways that you can help aid hungry people.
Even $1 will help. Click on the icon above.
If you have the means, please donate to Feeding America by clicking on the box to the right. In addition to supplying food banks all over the country, they help hungry kids through their Backpack Program, Kids Cafe, Summer Food, and School Pantry programs. And this month, Ameriprise Financial will match your donation -- which means that every dollar you donate provides 16 meals to hungry people.
All times Eastern!
Saturday, Oct 15:
9:00a -- noweasels
12:00p -- teacherken
3:00p -- TheFatLadySings
6:00p -- blue jersey mom
9:00p -- JayinPortland
Owls -- Timroff
Sunday, Oct 16
9:00a -- rb137
12:00p -- JanF
3:00p -- Aji
5:00p -- Patric Juillet
7:00p -- Chacounne
10:00p -- boatsie
Thank you all for reading this. Even if you do not have the money to donate, please recommend this diary, and I will make a donation for you.