Exploring Hunger In America

In the United States, single parents, african americans and hispanics, households with children, and citizens with incomes below the poverty line were most susceptible to food insecurity. Those facts may not be very surprising. However, what is is the shear amount of people who face hunger in the United States.

When asked about the hunger problems in America one would imagine a homeless person asking and begging for food in the streets. However, what we fail to understand is that hunger is closer to us than what we think. A fellow co-worker or perhaps even the next door neighbor may be an example of someone who suffers from food insecurity. Food insecurity is when a person does not know when or where the next meal will come from. Food insecurity is most likely to develop in food deserts, a place where there is little to no fruits, vegetables and whole healthy foods. The documentary, A Place At The Table, is attempting to shed light on the argument that many Americans suffer from food insecurity because of low income and as result those individuals face various complications.

The United States is known as the wealthiest country in the world. But, there are many people that can't afford to buy food for their families, many are also homeless. “While hunger affects people of all ages, it's particularly devastating for children even short-term episodes of hunger can cause lasting damage."(“Child Nutrition Programs") Child hunger in the United States is caused by poverty, unemployment, food insecurity, and food shortage; however there are many solutions to this problem like FRAC strategies, food banks, summer feeding programs, and backpack feeding programs.

After reading the extensive “The New Face of Hunger” (Tracie McMillan), my eyes became more open to the overall issue of hunger, faced by many people today. In a few words, I was absolutely shocked by the true meaning and examples provided of what exactly food insecurity is. Honestly speaking, when I hear the word “hunger” I think of a human who has no food, living on the streets. “The New Face of hunger” brought to my attention that food insecurity is much more than simply having no food. In fact, “In 2006 the U.S. government replaced “hunger” with the term “food insecure” to describe any household where, sometime during the previous year, people didn’t have enough food to eat” (The New Face of Hunger). Not only was I able to see the harsh

It was difficult to read that countless millions of federal dollars and many of our country's most successful efforts to halt the spread of childhood hunger and starvation have recently been withdrawn. And as a result, this problem of childhood hunger is not getting better but is actually getting worse. The most recent estimates compiled by the USDA in 1999 indicate that 36.2 million Americans live in food-insecure households, which means that their access to adequate and safe food is limited or uncertain. This too is very disturbing information.

In the foreword, Bridges states he and the political will are part of the problem of hidden hunger in America. He does not give us much information on what he was not doing before he decided to help. Bridges also states that we could help end this problem just as much as anyone else can, but he never furthers the thought after this. Bridges could inform us on what he meant when he was the problem and how we individual's reading this could help end this problem. We do not see ads on television telling us the people in our own country are starving. The politicians have so much power and if they are standing for what they believe in then most would think there would be no hunger in America. The politicians should be making sure that everyone

In Janet Poppendieck's “Want Amid Plenty: From Hunger To Inequality” she argues that America puts excessive focus upon hunger issues among the poor when there are many other important issues that go unnoticed. Poppendieck believes that it is time to find a way to shift the discourse from undernutrition to unfairness, from hunger to inequality. In today's society, there are many food banks, food drives, soup kitchens, etc. Food is extremely abundant in America, therefore Poppendieck's statement is proven true when she states that there is too much focus on hunger. Throughout this text, she strongly supports her claims about hunger, equality, and poverty in general.

Hunger throughout America is something that 12 million Americans are battling with everyday. That’s one in every six people (dosomething.org) In Texas alone, 4,320,050 people are tackling hunger and of those 4,320,050 people, 1,713,430 are children- or one in four children throughout Texas (Feeding America). Throughout North Texas, “the number of people living in poverty is 631,261” (Glean Texas). Since hunger is tied to poverty, it is assumed that those living in poverty in North Texas are also living with hunger insecurities. To brighten things up a bit, Flower Mound, is considered to be a more wealthier town in North Texas. Ranked by the American City Business, Flower Mound is “number 21 on a list of the top 50 cities in the Southern

Hunger is a big social issue facing America today. According to (“Do Something.com”) 1 out of 6 people face hunger in the US. Also 49 Million Americans Struggle to put food on the table. America is the best country in world, we shouldn’t have so many people hungry. Many people have thought of fixing this problem but one company has found a way to help fix this problem, this company is Feeding America. They have been giving people food since 1979. They’ve helped out 46 million Americans. ( feedingamerica.org )

Everybody knows the feeling of hunger before his or her next meal. Think of that gnawing, empty feeling in your stomach. That feeling, that discomfort, is nothing compared to what millions are going through everyday in America alone. Imagine always being incredibly hungry. Imagine not knowing where your next meal will come from. Imagine not knowing if you will even get to eat each and every day. Millions of Americans, children and adults alike, suffer from those exact feelings. There are countless starving people in America, and as some of the more fortunate, we need to do something about it.

The food storage is running short, as the cupboard opens up, a cloud of dust and despair hits me in the face as I look into the empty storage unit. And the thought comes through your mind of when harvest season will begin and the time is so distant and the thought is faint so hunger takes over. That is what the famine in Africa is like. The thought of starving and not being able to do anything because there isn’t anything to do besides hope. The feeling of hunger that us Americans feel on the daily isn’t even close to the starvation and feeling of emptiness they feel. Even when we feel hungry we know that we are going to get something to eat, where they have no idea how many days it will be until they finally do. Some of the reasons for this

With globalizations, middle-class Americans are experiencing a new level of employment uncertainty, which speaks to the increase in homelessness and food insecurity. According to our class guest speaker Vic Papale, “Americans are faced with higher domestic food prices, reduced incomes and employment and having already sold off assets, reduced food consumption and cut spending on essential items such as health care and education.” These families and individuals risk falling deeper into destitution and the hunger-poverty trap. In other words, hunger makes poverty intergenerational.

In the video “Feeding the Hungry, Nourishing the Soul,” Narayanan Krishnan recalls upon the time that he witnessed an old man eating his own waste due to unbearable hunger. Many people might find this a bit extreme, but unfortunately, this is the reality for several people around the world and for some in this very nation. In fact, in the United States alone, forty million people are classified as poor and the rate of poverty is increasing twice as fast compared to the population growth (Mantsios 1). Even worse is that when compared to other developed and industrialized nations in the world, America has the highest rates of poverty and unequal wealth distribution. Throughout American history, there have been multiple efforts made to combat

Hunger in the United States is a large problem that still affects the lives of our citizens seven years after the 2008 economic crisis. This is a problem that is still growing steadily in the lives of Americans, especially those who are living in poverty. Even though the United State’s rate of food insecure households is still far below the rates that are found in developing countries, it is still persistent problem as the issues of food insecurity move away from under nutrition and towards the quality of a persons diet. While poverty alone does not cause food insecurity, it is the main cause of being food insecure.

Food insufficiency is the struggle to know where one’s next meal will be coming from. One in ten families say they are not receiving enough food each day (Siple). This problem is very serious, our future depends on the lives of people living right now. Nobody should have to suffer through the pain of being hungry. “You can’t build a peaceful world on empty stomachs and human misery” (Borlaug 12). Furthermore, being hungry causes many problems, such as parents having to work several jobs just to provide food for their loved ones. If parents are using food stamps, they can only receive a certain amount of food. Because parents do not have enough money, they have to purchase junk food; however, it is less expensive than healthy food. (Minnesota Department of Health). Children have to go to bed hungry because they did not get to eat supper. Sometimes the only meals these kids get are the ones at school, because they apply for free lunches. Children that are arriving at school who have not eaten much and are hungry. Their performance and grades in school are worse than those who have enough to eat. Studies show that children who are struggling with food insufficiency are more likely to repeat a grade (PR Newswire). The ultimate goal is to get rid of starvation in America. Second Harvest is an organization that comes up with ideas on how to end hunger in America (Ford). They have several links