Wednesday
Uniting For Hunger And Hope 2009
If you live in a city, you don't have to travel too far before you drive by, walk by, or take a train past an area of town where people are living at or beneath the poverty level. Having enough money for a roof over one's head is not the primary concern in these areas. Having enough to eat and/being able to feed your kids is also right up there.
But hunger's reach isn't only contained to urban centers. According to FeedingAmerica.org hunger has its claws on the following groups/areas:
- Children
- The Suburbs
- Senior Citizens
- The Working Poor
- Low Income Families
As stated by the Hungersite.com, in 2005:
In 2005:
- 37 million people (12.6%) were in poverty
- 12.9 million (17.8%) children under the age of 18 were in poverty
- 20.5 million (11.3%) of people aged 18-64 were in poverty
- 3.6 million (10.1%) seniors 65 and older were in poverty, an increase from 3.5 million in 2004
Poverty is forcing millions of Americans into a hunger crisis. Their hunger emergency is defined by food insecurity, which is the lack of access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs for an active and healthy life. Families find themselves buying cheaper and less nutritious food, or cutting entire meals out of their diet, just to make ends meet. Increasing over time, this pattern leads to chronic malnutrition, affecting children and families in profoundly destructive ways
Although the United States is the wealthiest nation in the world, millions of children in our nation are food insecure. Today, many public food-assistance programs and private organizations strive to meet the nutritional needs of vulnerable children, but more needs to be done to fight child hunger.
You can learn more about the global epidemic of hunger and the efforts to turn the tide on the HungerSite's Facebook page.
Tyson (yes, the Chicken company) has a nice page dedicated to hunger relief efforts and a list of resources on how you can participate. You should check out their hunger relief efforts.
This epidemic is eye-opening. The statistics are overwhelming. That fact that children are involved is downright heart wrenching. What can one do in the face of all this?
You can do your part, however large or small. Check out the links I've listed here and click the icon at the top of the post or in the far right-hand column of the page for more information. You can also check out Heifer International's website for additional information and efforts.
Peace.
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