Hunger is no game.
In 2011 low food security impacted almost one in six Americans. According to the US Department of Agriculture,
An estimated 85.1 percent of American households were food secure throughout the entire year in 2011, meaning that they had access at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members. The remaining households (14.9 percent) were food insecure at least some time during the year, including 5.7 percent with very low food security—meaning that the food intake of one or more household members was reduced and their eating patterns were disrupted at times during the year because the household lacked money and other resources for food. emphasis added
[
The USDA uses the term "food insecurity" instead of "hunger" to improve the measurability and objectiveness of the measure. Regardless of term, too many people in the U.S. have trouble feeding themselves and/or someone in their household, due to lack of money or other resources.]
This was a significant increase as compared to 2007, even though the Farm Bill of 2008 substantially increased access to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). By August 2008 participation had reached an all-time (non-disaster) high of 29 million people per month. Currently it stands at more than 46 million people each month.
AND PEOPLE ARE STILL HUNGRY.
Our Elected Officials and Candidates Are Ready to Fix This
Well, not so much...
Hunger and poverty are largely ignored this election cycle. In a September 7, 2012, story published by Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) coverage in the 2012 presidential campaigns is described:
... Extra! looked at six months of campaign coverage (1/1/12–6/23/12) by eight prominent news outlets: CBS Evening News, ABC World News, NBC Nightly News, PBS NewsHour and NPR’s All Things Considered, and the print editions of the New York Times, Washington Post and Newsweek. Using the Nexis news database, the study counted campaign-related stories, both news reports and commentary, that were substantively about poverty (i.e., mentioning causes, referring to proposed solutions and so forth), as well as campaign stories that mentioned poverty in passing or less substantial ways.
Despite its widely experienced impact, FAIR’s study found poverty barely registers as a campaign issue. Just 17 of the 10,489 campaign stories studied (0.2 percent) addressed poverty in a substantive way. Moreover, none of the eight outlets included a substantive discussion of poverty in as much as 1 percent of its campaign stories. emphasis added
One of the most noted stories in the campaign relative to poverty is that of Mitt Romney declaring his lack of concern for the very poor.
And as for current lawmakers?
Republicans in the House of Representatives are trying to cut food assistance. According to the Fiscal Policy Center (FPC) at Voices for Illinois Children,
The powerful anti-poverty effects of SNAP are being threatened, however, by proposed cuts in Congress. The deepest cuts have been proposed by the Agriculture Committee in the House of Representatives. The Committee’s version of the “Farm Bill” — the legislation in which SNAP is periodically reauthorized — would cut funding by $16.5 billion over the next 10 years. Most of this reduction would come from eliminating states’ ability to use of “broad-based categorical eligibility,” which streamlines SNAP eligibility determinations by allowing states to enroll low-income households based on eligibility for other federal means-tested programs. Forty-five states, including Illinois, take advantage of broad-based categorical eligibility to make it easier for families in need to receive SNAP benefits and to make state administration of SNAP more efficient.
The elimination of broad-based categorical eligibility would cause 1.8 million individuals nationwide to lose SNAP benefits each year and 280,000 school-age children to lose automatic eligibility for free school breakfast and lunch, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office. The proposed cuts to SNAP would increase hardship for vulnerable children and families in Illinois and across the nation. emphasis added
What Can You Do?
Support and vote for Democratic candidates, and let them know that poverty and food security are priority concerns. Funding for SNAP must not be reduced, and our investment in children and families must be maintained.
Volunteer at your local food pantry or free lunch line. It takes a lot of hours and effort to run these programs. Jim and I have volunteered several times with our local Democratic party. You may be surprised how much fun you have, and how gratifying it is to help. Please don't wait for the holidays. There is need every day.
Give canned and boxed goods in local food drives. Food drives help fill shelves and add variety to what pantries can offer. In eastern Iowa, the Boy Scouts are running their annual "Scouting for Food" this week and next week. According to their information,
Each year nearly 3,000 Scouts hit the streets to distribute over 150,000 bags and collect over 50,000 pounds of food in our seven district area.
Give money directly to your local food pantry. Cash may be used to purchase food at a few cents on the dollar, expanding your gift into many more meals than you could buy on your own.
The Hunger Quilt
Our nearest food pantry, the North Liberty Community Pantry, operates out of a storage shed on the property of Methodist church. However, in 2011 the pantry served 477 families, with total visits increasing 12% to 5,679. In addition, the pantry distributed 161,658 pounds of food and toiletries, an 18.5% increase over 2010.
The need is great and increasing, as in most communities.
Jim and I donate canned and boxed goods, as we did today through the Boy Scouts. We also make cash contributions. However, this year I wanted to do more than we could that way. This year I made a quilt. It is 69" square, red on bright white. The name of the block is "Crown of Thorns," or alternately known as "Wedding Ring." The name of the quilt is "Rings of Love."
And to show a little more detail on the quilting
I "sold" this quilt to a friend. Rather than paying me, she wrote a check to my food pantry for $320. The pantry has been able to buy food at about 8 cents on the dollar lately, which means that $320 check will buy approximately $4,000 of food. YES, four thousand dollars of food. Though I put about $80 of material into it, and untold hours of work (hundreds...), I would not have been able to give $4,000 of food to the pantry.
Who Else Needs Help?
PLEASE consider the ways YOU can help provide food to those in need in your community. If you are unable to give with cash or food, you DO have a vote and the power of your voice. THANK YOU for the help you give.
I can edit and add names to this list.
The Vermont Food Bank
Okiciyap
Waterville Maine Soup Kitchen
North Liberty Community Pantry
For More Information
http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/...
http://www.americanprogress.org/...
http://www.ers.usda.gov/...
http://www.voices4kids.org/...