Bread for the World: New Report Shows Many U.S. Working Families at Risk of Hunger
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NOVEMBER 19, 2007
4:10 PM
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CONTACT: Bread for the World
Jennifer Stapleton 202-464-8123
Shawnda Hines 301-960-4913
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New Report Shows Many U.S. Working Families at Risk of Hunger
Annual Report on the State of Hunger in the United States Offers Long-term Solutions
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WASHINGTON, DC - November 19 - This Thanksgiving, when many families in the United States are giving thanks for their abundance, millions of other U.S. families are working harder than ever just to keep food on the table. The jobs they have do not pay enough for them to reach the poverty line, explains Bread for the World Institute in its most recent report on the state of hunger entitled Hunger 2008: Working Harder for Working Families.
"At a time when many other countries have made remarkable progress in reducing poverty and hunger, right here in the United States we haven't mustered the political will necessary to tackle these problems," said Rev. David Beckmann, President of Bread for the World Institute. "The Administration and Congress have plenty of opportunity—most urgently with the farm bill being debated in the Senate. But the farm bill proposals under consideration do not come close to meeting the real needs of poor people.
"Likewise, very few presidential candidates are talking about poverty except as an afterthought to other agendas. When are the needs of hungry and poor people going to get on the agenda? The new Bread for the World Institute report, Working Harder for Working Families, lays out a comprehensive plan that a new president can use to dramatically make progress in reducing poverty and hunger in this country."
The report makes the case that hunger and poverty are intertwined – and both must be addressed. The report shows that while the U.S. economy has been growing in recent decades, the benefits have not been shared equally. Two-thirds of poor families with children have one or more parents who work, and one-third have a parent who works full-time, year-round. Workers at the bottom end of the wage scale have actually been losing ground, as low-wage work pays less today (after inflation) than in the late 1970s.
Last week, the USDA released their annual report about the number of people in this country who experience hunger or at risk of hunger in 2006. 35 million people live in households that struggle to put food on the table—virtually unchanged since 2005.
Hunger 2008 offers four strategies to combat hunger and poverty in this country:
· Set a national goal to cut hunger and poverty in half by 2015.
· Raise wages and ensure that affordable health care and other benefits available low-wage workers.
· Strengthen work-support programs like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), the national nutrition programs and childcare.
· Create incentives for low-income families to save and build assets.
During the holiday season, people become more aware of those around them who struggle to put food on the table and provide for their families. Hunger 2008 gives up-to-date information about the most vulnerable members of our society and offers hopeful, long-term solutions.
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