Sociologist Janet Poppendieck's The Panthers

Fortunately there are programs that assist families in crisis and can help to feed the children of the United States; however the number of hungry children is growing. Child hunger in the United States has been described as an increasingly complex problem and has been called the “silent epidemic.” (Goldstein, 2009)

Have you eaten today? Can you eat today? For many in America and across the world the answer to those questions is no. Having a meal and to afford one is difficult. In 1984, Billy and Debbie Shore founded the Share Our Strength organization as a response to the famine in Ethiopia. As time continued, Billy raised more than $600 million for the organization to fight against hunger and poverty. It soon branched off into smaller chains such as No Kids Hungry and Cooking Matters. Through the campaigns of No Kid Hungry and Cooking Matters, Share Our Strengths is on a mission to end childhood hunger and to teach low-income families how to shop and cook healthier.

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.

Thesis Statement: The Houston Food Bank uses the efforts of volunteers as well as donations to support the reduction of hunger in the community.

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

Considering the following statistics, it is clear why Hunger Free Colorado’s work is so important: Nearly 1 in 7 Coloradans struggled with hunger in 2013, facing times when there was not enough money to buy food for their families or themselves (Colman-Jenson, Gregory, & Singh, 2013). More than 1 in 5 Colorado households with children (22%) reported food hardship, facing financial challenges to put food on the table (Food Research and Action Center, 2013). More than 1 in 8 Coloradans lived in poverty, including 1 in 6 kids, during 2013 (Bishaw & Fontenot, 2014).

For many individuals in our Vietnamese community whom grew up in Vietnam, they know what it is like to go hungry for several days due to being unable to buy food. In order to find a better lifestyle for their families, they immigrated to the United States. However, for many families in America, the feeling of hunger is becoming a common occurrence due to being food-insecure. The definition of food insecurity according to the American Institute of Nutrition is “the state of being unable to get reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food”. The holidays are supposed to be a time to celebrate, and to share a meal with others. But for a number of families, they’re met with a familiar feeling of hunger. This may cause them to suffer emotionally from being unable to feast at the holidays. Those that are not living on the edge of poverty will not understand how much financial pressure is put on vulnerable families as they relied on schools to provide free meals to their children. The Food & Nutrition Service (FNS) runs a program that covers a portion of low-income children with meals over their summer; there isn’t a national program that covers the holiday break. This puts additional stress on low-income families, as they have to find ways to provide food, along with getting their children cared for. Food insecurity

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.

America has evolved in the rate at which people are going hungry and the concern as to why this is occurring. The perceptions that have been made by individuals is the fact that the people that are going hungry are the homeless. These people are said to be generally unemployed and don’t have the necessities that others inquire. Many don’t think about the people that have jobs and families, but just don’t make enough to pay the bills and put food on the table. America has had this perception on what “hunger” is, but now that same perception is changing. It doesn’t matter who the people are, but rather how the hunger in America has changed over the years. In the article, “Shift to ‘Food

Mens and Women’s Basketball games at High Point University differ however they both build a sense of Panther Nation. To analyzing the symbols of Panther Nation I attended the Men’s Basketball game against Campbell and I played in the Women’s Basketball game against Liberty. During the Men’s game I was a spectator watching in communion with the fans around me; however during the Women’s game I was a player analyzing the action on the court. Watching the games as a fan and a player offered me different perspectives of the Panther Nation.

Throughout history, and even to this day, there has been racism roaming the streets of America. Back in 1966, the Black Panther Party was created to protect the black citizens from police brutality. The group evolved over time from nationalism, to a broader socialist movement. Throughout the party’s life, the blacks suffered a lot of hate and violence from many. Unlawful violence is never right and the blacks did not deserve to be treated the way they did. The brutality and unfair treatment the black citizens endured back in the twentieth century is absolutely absurd.

Ever since our first arrival to the new world, black thought and way of life has been under attack from outside forces whose only goal was and is to keep the African American community from progressing. Imprisonment, murder, deportation, bombings, illegal wiretapping, and fraud are just some of the schemes that have been leveled at black power organizations since J. Edgar Hoover first took the helm of the Bureau of Investigation, the predecessor to the present day FBI. Examining what happened to the Black Panthers, particularly the murders of Fred Hampton and Mark Clark, and Marcus Garvey and the UNIA, will give us a clear picture of the strategies used to destroy black political and social organizations in the United States of America.

For quite some time now, food has been at the forefront of people’s lives throughout the world. Eating has become a tradition, as food keeps us alive, healthy, and well. The importance of agriculture and farming is something that should not go unnoticed. Even just sharing a meal with somebody is intimacy, it has brought us closer together than ever before. Marcie Cohen Ferris, author of “The Edible South: The Power of Food and the Making of an American Religion”, takes a closer look at how food has brought a sense of togetherness but also the separation and tension that is running rampant through society today. She examines ideas of segregation and civil rights, and how food was able to play a pivotal role in some of America’s most historic moments.

Throughout the world, there are thousands of individuals who suffer from the challenges of poverty which include homelessness and hunger. These are not recent issues, but issues which have been developing for years. Through households and towns in the Unites States and abroad these issues seem to always be second on the agenda. However for one congressman, George Thomas (Mickey) Leland, this was not the case. Leland was able to raise attention to the issue through his career. Although he faced criticism from the politicians around him, he never stopped fighting for the cause he believed in, as he became a martyr to eradicate world hunger. When individuals turned away from poverty and hunger Leland coarsely raised attention for the cause even if it would cause him his life.

Have you ever wondered where you would rest your head at night? Where you would find your next meal? How would support your family given unforeseen sudden circumstances? I’ve never thought about the importance of these questions until a recent experience I had volunteering at a food pantry. There are organizations whose main purpose is to help those in need and provide resources to members of the community who are going through difficult times. A food pantry is a non-profit community serviced organization that provides members of the community with groceries and resources. From volunteering at this food pantry I learned more than ever to never “judge a book, by its cover”, or in other words, even though I person may look well put together on the outside, you never know what it is they are dealing with on the inside. I’ve encountered homeless members of the community, people who have suffered from physical abuse, and people who have experienced unexpected disasters such as house fires to expected job layoffs while volunteering at a food pantry. I’ve also come to appreciate everything that I have in my life from the roof over my head to the food in my stomach and that some people are less fortunate than me.