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Land of the Food Insecure: Record Rates of Hunger in US
More US households short of food
Almost 15% of US households experienced a food shortage at some point in 2009, a government report has found.
Drew Everhart, a homeless man, sits at the Urban Ministry soup kitchen in Charlotte, North Carolina, November 16, 2009. (REUTERS/Carlos Barria) US authorities say that figure is the highest they have seen since they began collecting data in the 1990s, and a slight increase over 2008 levels.
Single mothers are among the hardest hit: About 3.5 million said they were at times unable to put sufficient food on the table.
Hispanics and African Americans also suffer disproportionately.
The food security report is the result of an annual survey conducted by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Households deemed "food insecure" experienced a period of inadequate food supply as a result of their economic situation, but did not necessarily remain without sufficient food for the entire year.
Although the number of food insecure households has risen sharply since the recession, the USDA says the growth rate has slowed, particularly toward the end of 2009.
The BBC's Katie Connolly, in Washington, says the results will be seen as somewhat surprising in a developed country that is also facing the problem of rising obesity rates.
Shielding children
Almost 60% of those experiencing food shortages were eligible for assistance to purchase food through a government food stamps program.
Since the recession, the Obama administration has expanded food stamp funding. In 2009, around 34 million Americans participated in food stamp programs each month.
Among those categorized as having "very low food security" - that is, those who experience the most severe food shortages - 28% of adults said that there were times in 2009 when they did not eat for an entire day because they could not afford to buy food.
Ninety-seven percent reported either skipping a meal or cutting the size of their meal for the same reason.
The report says that children in low food security households are often shielded from such behaviour by adults.
Recession-proof poverty
The prevalence of food insecurity has placed increased pressure on soup kitchens and community organizations to provide for the poor.
But Jeannine Sanford, the Deputy Director for Washington DC food pantry Bread For The City, warned against assuming that the problem of hunger would be alleviated when the recession ends because there are some groups whose conditions are virtually unaffected by the bad economy.
With its plethora of government jobs, Washington DC has not been as badly hit by the recession as other cities. Still, its soup kitchens and community organizations are struggling to keep up with demand - as they have been for some time.
Washington has long had a relatively large population of underprivileged people in need of assistance.
Ms Sanford says that the number of hungry people seeking help obtaining food has not changed much during the recession. Most of the people who come to her organization are the elderly, the disabled or those in minimum wage jobs who live well below the poverty line.
These people tend to live on fixed incomes, and have little hope of their income improving when the economy rebounds.
There were poor people in DC before the recession, and they will still be poor and need help when it is over, she says.
"The nature of receiving disability (welfare) is that the person is permanently disabled," Ms Sanford told the BBC. "It's not like the economy changes and that changes for them. They're still going to be trying to struggle on a really limited amount of income."
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62 Comments so far
Show AllThe volunteers with Food Not Bombs could have told the government that there is a food crisis. We are seeing more people at our meals every day. We need your support. www.foodnotbombs.net
Take out the proper nouns and it would appear that the BBC is reporting on an event in a third world nation...wait !, the US has now become a third world nation although most of its inhabitants haven't admitted it yet.
Second World. We still have clean water. Only after our municipal water systems are privatized* will we be able to claim Third World status.
*stolen
Many or most water systems are already privatized. My water comes from Pennsylvania American Water, and it is already not advisable to to drink it, becasue of high levels of trihalomethanes, a consequence of high levels of bromide coming from Marcellus shale gas drilling upriver.
Start home gardens and inculcate that concept into schools beginning in kindergarten. Children need to learn to be self-sufficient in growing their own food because times are not going to get better.
Raised beds are best so there is no stoop labor involved, and they're much more efficient. 2' high, 4' wide, 8-12' long is good size to start.
We need food security before we need more wars.
As one who writes about commercial agricultural production (it's my job), I still show some lack of confidence that the system will feed me. I am an avid gardener, and even though most times it doesn't seem to pay, I can't imagine opening myself to the situation of being totally dependent on others for my food. My basement is full of food I've canned, and my freezer as well. To steal a phrase, trust but verify.
fruitwriter,
Well said. Since you are up on agrlculture, do you know of any commercial duckweed cultivation increase? I read it has more protein than soy, can be grown in waste water from farm animals (it actually cleans the water by uptaking the nitrogen in the waste) and doesn't require insecticides. It also grows faster than any other plant on earth so it can be a great biomass generator.
Your thoughts?
home gardens become more or less illegal, enforced by homeland security, under s.510
http://www.naturalnews.com/030418_Food_Safety_Modernization_Act_seeds.html
If you live in an apartment that is not an option. The middle-class gating itself into self-sufficient utopian communes is not going to fix hunger and poverty.
Exactly. Home gardens are nice, but they have nothing to do with poverty.
Telling the poor, who alrady spend 90 hours a week in menial work and commuting on dismantled public transit or userous jitneys, to grow a garden is positively Marie Antionetteesque!
Bourgeois liberals in suburbia, or their "houses in the country", suuuure are clueless as to what poverty is.
Its a great thought Cleanearth unfortunately education is based on providing labor for the industrial world and as we slowly just make people skilled at one thing or well actually based on how little I use of my high school education now in college except for the material I taught myself to keep my grades up. The schools are making people dumber as kids are just statistics of GPAs. Hell I got Bs and Cs in many of my classes before my junior year and I still made it out with a weighted 4.0 course I took several AP classes to boost my gpa and played the system. But I agree we should teach kids self-sufficiency because it's nice to know about fossil fuels but to realize that oil natural gas and uranium will probably run out in the next 100 years and that our whole society will collapse if we do not change our habits would of probably been a more useful tool. But thinking is not an answer on a standardized test..
USA - Third World country.
Dear Smarter:
A thought just occured. If 1st world countries are the industrial, ines and those countries in poverty ( or just without industrial bases,) are the 3rd world countries, then who are the 2nd world countries?
My definition is:
First World has access to good food and water (Europe, New Zealand, Argentina, Chile, Canada, parts of the USA).
Second World has shitty food and bad water unless you have money (USA, Russia, China, India, etc.).
Third World has shitty food and poisonous water no matter how much money you have (Africa, Kentucky).
Anyway, if you live in the USA and you are wondering what a second-rate... I mean second world country looks like, then look out your front door or turn on your TV, whichever is closer. : )
"if you live in the USA and you are wondering what a second-rate... I mean second world country looks like, then look out your front door or turn on your TV"
_______________*
I looked out my front porch, and saw Russia.
That used to be the "communist block" nations (eastern european nations, ussr, red china, cuba, etc...). Industrialized, but "not as good" as the 1st world nations. Thanks for asking the question. I had forgotten about these old reference points.
What?, your Mother didn't teach you to share? Yesterday while grocery shopping I donated 2 turkeys for Turkey Tuesday (next week, the 23rd) my cost, 6 dollars each. What isn't used right away goes to a year-round cold storage to be available throughout the year. I do this once a month as part of my monthly budget. I am on Social Security Disability and I make darn sure I share. Just think if everyone spent a portion on someone they didn't know. What if we shared. Pie in the sky idealism? No, it's pie on the table served with a smile.
People who don't have much are always the most generous.
I don't understand why Christians who are taught that God is present in the person of the poor do not want to pay enough taxes for food security through adequate food cards or what used to be called food stamps. The Christian teaching, Matthew 25:34-36 needs to be emphasized by the clergy, instead of constantly attacking the women who need reproductive health care. Today I read that Catholic Bishops oppose the Health Care Reform Bill due to abortion language. Why aren't they helping the single mothers who did not have an abortion and demand that the government make food cards be available for all who need food security. Many Christians blame the victims of poverty. They look at them in human terms, as freeloaders, lazy, deadbeats, drunks and drug addicts. But their Jesus never taught that if they help the poor they will get to be dependent and remain on assistance. Christ taught: "Inasmuch as you did it to these the least of my brethren, you did it to me."
Although I am no longer religious, I was raised Catholic in a small town, in a small wooden mission style church. Literally like something you'd see in a Norman Rockwell painting.
What was taught to me in my youth bares almost no resemblance to what I hear being taught of what it means to be a "Christian" today. I never even remember abortion even being mentioned. There was a real feeling of community. Charity and kindness for those less fortunate was considered a virtue, and being wealthy was very close to being considered a vice.
People went to church, would say what religion they were if they were asked, but didn't run around trying to ram their beliefs down other peoples throats. Religion and politics were kept separate.
Oh well quaint times, that are now a distant memory and that have been replaced by a much more cynical reality.
Although abortion started becoming a wedge issue when Team Raygun was looking for ways to divide and conquer 30 years ago, Team Dubya exponentially increased its visibility within the first year of Dubya's first term.
I recall several neighbors in my blue town who did not consider abortion to be an issue in the 2000 campaign, suddenly considered it the sole criteria for who they voter for in 2004 and beyond.
Today it doesn't even matter if the office you are running for deals with abortion issues, if you are running for school board, city council, etc., your stand on abortion is likley to be a factor in your campaign.
Yea I had the way-back machine on. I'm talking mid/late 60s, to early 70s, the somewhat less crazy days for politics before they were infected by religion twisted to fit corporate interests.
Yes, many people of Native heritage still remember far more older times of life before the Europeans in our land.
When Ohio was the Far West to Europeans a man of European heritage traveled amongst and visited some of the Blood Thirsty Savage Tribes of the area. Upon returning he said, They live like the Bible says to live and they don't even have the book.
I only read that story after I had access to a computer and the Net sometime in the mid 90's. In the late 80's I said to a woman of European heritage I knew only slightly, Hunting, fishing, growing and gathering a little food, being friends, and living simply with the earth was pretty much all people ever needed to know.
I was amazed at her reply when she said, That's what it says in the Bible.
There are stories from within Tribes that Jesus lived with them long ago in this land before the Europeans ever arrived. While I am not a Mormon nor belong to any Organized Religion even the Mormon's in their book say Jesus lived with Tribes in this land long ago.
That would have meant he was out from under the European Gentile Rule of the Romans. Out from under Herod's rule. Out from under the Dictatorial Rule of the Religious system of Israel. Out from under the Mammon system of Rome and other Nations.
Since his paradoxical names are Lamb of God and Lion of Judah as he was born of the Tribe of Judah I can see where he would have enjoyed living with Tribes in this land if he lived here with them. At least far more than the swell time he had in Israel.
Now the Europeans have their modern day Roman Babylon in our land.
Myself I am just passing through.
Life is good. What an experience! It's always best to forgive.
I always enjoy your comments, and am glad to see you back again.
Perhaps you've read my Short Story, Point of Diminishing Returns. Jesus shows up in Israel on a Suicide Mission from God going around Truthing everyone. So they kill him off, or so they think, and after his resurrection he returns to the Kingdom wearing a T-Shirt that says, I visited Planet Earth and all I got was Crucified and this Lousy T-Shirt.
Just passing through folks, just passing through.
Life is good. What an experience! It's always best to forgive.
I have no religious afilliation or background, but to the saying "however you treat the down and out, that's how you treat god", I say damn right.
And to the "Gospel of Prosperity", I say "get stuffed!"
"There were poor people in DC before the recession, and they will still be poor and need help when it is over, she says."
Except this recession will never be over.
Exactly!
Too many Americans are still calling it a downturn, recession or depression while failing to acknowledge that it is a paradigm change...can you say THIRD WORLD NATION ?
"THIRD WORLD NATION" AKA IN THE M$M as "The New Normal". The later sounds so much better than the former, no?
When your product is totally crap, how you present it is so very important.
I have not seen an article on Common Dreams - composed by an American author - on the political or economic or moral circumstances in Great Britain.
Will someone from Kansas or Iowa please tell me what percent of British households experienced a food shortage in 2009. What's up with British single mothers? How are Afro-Britains doing, compared to white Brits? What percent of citizens in England received government food assistance? Were there times in 2009 when Brits either did not eat for an entire day, or skipped a meal, or cut their meal size because they could not afford food?
I am on tenterhooks. When I get the answers I'm going to be on the phone all day letting others know.
Trylon
Although I would also be interested in how other G-20 nations' food supply is faring, Trylon, keep in mind that since the US continues to be the only nation in the world that can just keep printing more money to get itself out of trouble, it is the only nation that has NO EXCUSE for having even one inhabitant underfed.
The point of this and other articles dealing with US food distribution is that the US Government and Federal Reserve (Fed)never hesitate to deregulate, lower interest rates and print more money to hand over to select speculators (whose net worth increases with each passing day)for the purpose of speculating on commodities (primarily food and energy), thereby driving prices up and cutting off access to food for more people in America and abroad.
If the US Government and Fed instead regulated speculation, printed more money for the purpose of giving people jobs with which they could buy food that was not subject to price spikes, there would be no underfed Americans and fewer underfed people in all nations and there would be no need for anybody to write articles like this one and we could all spend our time doing more productive things than writing, reading and commenting upon articles like this.
Re Britain - Try this: "Identity in Britain: A Cradle-to-grave Atlas"
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Identity-Britain-Cradle---grave-Atlas/dp/1861348207/ref=sr_1_18?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1289938227&sr=1-18
"Product Description:
Sixty million people live in Britain. Imagine sixty million. Imagine a map of sixty million. What would that map look like and what story would it tell us about identity in Britain today? Danny Dorling and Bethan Thomas have brought together this outstanding atlas to provide us with a unique visual picture of identity and geography combined. "Identity in Britain" explores our changing identities as we progress from infancy to old age and tells the story of the myriad geographies of life in Britain. Features and benefits include: detailed maps and analysis of the contemporary neighbourhood geographies of people in Britain at various life stages; clear introduction and how-to-use guide making the atlas highly accessible for a wide range of users; and, accompanying bookmark to aid interpretation of the maps on each page. Unlike conventional atlases of human geography, it allows us to see a range of data on a single map; further it allows us to easily see what social mixing does not occur as well as what does. Never before have we had such a vivid geographical picture of identity in Britain today. The atlas is essential reading for those interested in contemporary human identity and the social geography of early twenty first century Britain. It is also an invaluable resource for researchers working in a wide range of statutory and voluntary organisations, policy makers, journalists, politicians, students and academics. "
Thanks. But can I assemble this information into an article about the situation in GB and get it posted by the BBC? They would scoff and call it =Coal to Newcastle=.
The article over which we are having this exchange was created by Brits for Brits. I don't understand why it is published on Common Dreams. Same with stuff from the Manchester Guardian, commentary about Obama. If Brits can see something about us that WE cannot, go for it. But if we CAN, then we have a right to label their material about us =Coal to Johnstown, Pennsylvania=. There are only so many electrons.
Trylon
"If Brits can see something about us that WE cannot, go for it."
I'm going to take a wild stab at this because I don't have data or citations for you, but hasn't the trend in American journalism been to cut back on budgets for reporting, especially investigative reporting, in favor of accepting canned Newsak, pre-packaged by PR firms (often for the government) into news-like servings? I don't know if it's the same in the UK, but it seems worth asking the question: do they spend more on stories, including real reporting, than our MSM?
My wasn't it just the the good fortune of the Tahitians that British showed up. Captain Bligh's sailors didn't want to go back to Jolly Yea Old Britain because they knew they found as close to the Garden of Eden as they were ever going to find on this Planet, but the Garden of Eden days were coming to end for the Tahitians once the British showed up.
Like the Tribes of this land they just really didn't know. As Johnny Rotten sang, God save the Queen and her Fascist Regime.
Life is good. What an experience! It's always best to forgive.
Not sure. They chew the news when they report it. I think that the BBC fadeout should shew the Talking Head brushing his or her teeth, or removing dentures. The sun never sets on the News Empiah. Brits hold the world record on consuming tabloid journalism; they can heat their homes with it. They think the head guy at the Vatican is the Paparazzi. Rim shot.
Trylon
Uhh, you do realise that all CD does, for the most part is repost articles from various sources, yes?
Unlike the BBC, which pays its journos? Similarly the Guardian (and no it is no longer the "Manchester Guardian"). Which is why you can't just assemble this info and get it posted by them. They wouldn't call it "coal to Newcastle". They would call it "why should we give you money?"
Why do articles like this get posted on CD? Because CD does not pay writers to write articles for it. Are you willing to pay a subscription to CD, are you willing to tolerate lots of ads on CD, in return for CD being able to pay you assemble all the info you want?
Furthermore, the Guardian has pretty large number of American readers. It is a bit hilarious that you complain about the Guardian bringing "coal to Johnstown", since many of the Guardian's UK readers complain that the Guardian, as a UK paper, devotes to many resources to America. Both criticisms miss the point: which is, on this thingy called the "internet", people can read sites from other countries. Which is one reason why the Guardian covers America a lot; the common language, and the large population of America (ie, lots of potential readers).
Furthermore, it would be "bringing coal to Johnstown" if and only if American newspapers were also reporting similar stories. Do you see such stories in the NYT? WSJ? USA Today?
And since CD is an American site, how many readers of CD actually are on tenterhooks to know about socio-economic conditions in Britain? Despite your assertion, I suspect that you aren't. Which is why CD isn't going to bother (re)posting articles to do with such.
Indeed, there are only so many electrons: your posts smack of nothing more than shooting the messenger, because you don't like the message, wasting electrons.
See my reply above to chaokoh. Now I'm on tenterhooks to see the Chad article about hunger in Togo, and the Togo article about hunger in Chad. Sleepless in Bay City.
I suspect you're not, despite your claims. You simply don't like the message of this article, but can't refute it, hence you're attempting to shoot the messenger.
And your whiny reply to chaokoh hasn't addressed any of my points, especially the one being CD being an American site, with the result being that most of the articles on CD cover America, and not the UK, or Togo, or Chad, or China, or Japan, etc.
Dear Sir Trylon,
The title of the article is:
"Land of the Food Insecure: Record Rates of Hunger in US"
If you are "on tenterhooks", as you say, about the state of nutrition in perfidious Albion, you might try writing an article yourself. Might I suggest a title?
"Land of the Food Insecure: Record Rates of Hunger in UK"
You ask: "Will someone from Kansas or Iowa please tell me what percent of British households experienced a food shortage...[etc., etc. etc.] What's up with British single mothers? What percent of citizens in England received government food assistance? [etc., etc., etc.]
Why should someone from Kansas or Iowa "please" tell you all of these things since you seem to be bursting with an indignation that can only result from familiarity?
You ask, "Were there times in 2009 when Brits either did not eat for an entire day, or skipped a meal, or cut their meal size because they could not afford food?"
I don't know, since the article was titled "Land of the Food Insecure: Record Rates of Hunger in US".
If you are waiting for an American author to write an article on the economic circumstances of "Great Britain", you might not have long as its collapse will be sure to make headlines, at least for a day.
As for your moral circumstances, the less said, the better.
chaokoh:
This is my favorite quote by George Bernard Shaw.
...."It is my business to be right when others are wrong."
This is my second favorite quote of George Bernard Shaw.
...."The power of accurate observation is often called cynicism by those who have not got it."
This is my third favorite quote by socialist George Bernard Shaw; it concerns lesser said "moral circumstances".
...."Suck my dick."
The United Nations has some 270 members. I suggest that journalists from each nation compose 269 supercilious articles on HUNGER IN XXXX NATION and fire off copies to Common Dreams - - so we will be "informed". Why else are we donating?
Trylon
Dear Sir Trylon,
I respect your "coming out" to us all in such public way, and by means of such a witty quote. Well done!
I would like to say, however, that the more modern and accepted view of homosexuality is more tolerant than it used to be and does automatically not lump it in with "moral circumstances".
Nice try though and thanks for sharing! : )
Here's a very helpful link to send a fax to your Senator re: the sneaky Monsanto bill s510 tomorrow
http://www.superhumanradio.com/core/2749.htm
s.510 is enforced by homeland security..it reminds me of the gov't. attempt to make university art historians teach that there is no such thing as an avant garde in reagan's time... they realize that growing your own food is a form of new counter-culture and can lead to revolution...so it's under homeland security. i admit that i feel terror and horror. this is a choice for slavery and holocaust-death. it also reminds me of the franco-fascist crack battalion whose flag was the words "long live death"...... oourprez. is doing his job well...
So what! Let's send another $3 billion to Israel. Let's give some more billions to Wall Street. And let's not forget the military-industrial complex! Just make sure those kickbacks show up in those Congresscritter Swiss bank accounts! Ah, America!
Whole Foods AKA Whole Paycheck, claims to donate 5% of their profits once in a while to the food banks. Their employees are making a few dollars above minimum wage, and corporate is stingy with even giving away day old $5.00 bread to their workers.
The working poor must feel chagrin when checking out items such as $11 pasta sauce and $20 scallops when they make about 7 dollars per hour after taxes. The divide in this country is fast becoming a "Modest Proposal"
The simple fact is--no one in this country should ever go hungry. Be you Christian or any other organized religion the one tenet of humanity is that no one should be hungry in this country! I'm an atheist and I give to the food drives every time. I donated to the local animal shelter today. Giving is a human trait and if you can watch any creature go hungry then you are not human!
This artcle also hinted at the connection between obesity and hunger in that no one can be hungry if so many are fat. There is a difference between being "full" and fed. You can get full on cardboard but that doesn't mean you are fed. Why are we as a country even faced with such an unconscionable issue? Shame upon us for putting profits over people once again. I just wonder what that $780 billion pentagon budget could do to cure this social disgrace...
You are right being fat is no guarantee for being full. In fact, many poor cannot afford fresh vegetables and fruit, but end up buying dated donuts and pastries for pennies on a sales cart in the back of the grocery to stave off hunger. Clearly it is possible to be malnourished and fat.
In addition, in many towns across the US it is illegal to dumpster-dive, something which is degrading to start with, but may provide a better diet than that sales-rack in the back of the grocery.
I agree with you to some extent. However, alleviation of hunger by private organizations has its limits. When the numbers of hungry persons rise into the tens of millions it is only the government that can prevent disastrous diseases.