Child Hunger In US Rose 50 Percent In 2007

News Net:

New government figures show that almost 700,000 children went hungry in the United States at some point in 2007, up more than 50 percent from the year before to mark the highest point since 1998. And that's even before this year's sharp economic downtown, the Agriculture Department reported Monday.

The department's annual report on food security showed that during 2007 the number of children who suffered a substantial disruption in the amount of food they typically eat was more than double the 430,000 in 2006 and the largest figure since 716,000 in 1998.

Read the whole story: News Net

Comments

[daedelus]

I wonder how many kids we could have fed with all that Prop 8 money?

[AlligatorShuz]

Mike Huckabee was once governor of Arkansas and he did nothing to fight hunger in that state and nor did he do anything to fight the hig drop out rate. Because illiteracy and poverty go hand in hand. And now he is running around the country trying to run for president again but the state he is from has one of the highest levels of hungry children..

[MissingAmerica]

Weightwatchers did a great thing this year. Rather than the usual makeover for 5, they ran a 6-week weightloss contest, donating a million dollars to the food banks which represented the first million pounds lost. Locally, we were invited to donate a pound of food for each pound lost. Our local foodbank collected more than 5,000 pounds of food from WW alone!

We need to all find creative ways to help. Our children are our future. We have borrowed this earth from them, and we owe it to them to keep it in shape!

[Tom Joad]

This report should shock everyone. The number of hungry children in America increase 50% in a single year. Who would not be shocked to see such a statistic, particularly considering the quantity of food that goes to waste every year. There is no rational excuse for this.

[VOTER]

Food Banks..............

These community organizations are so important.
My friends in WI. volunteer at a church food bank and
the number of families needing assistance has increased
with each week. It is frightening.

If Possible, Donate: Time, Money or Some Canned or Dry Goods.

[Tom Joad]

9 days to Thanksgiving in America. Donate food now and throughout the year. No one in America should be hungry.

[MountainMarge]

HUNGER IN AMERICA IS NOT A REPUBLICAN PROBLEM OR A DEMOCRATIC PROBLEM...IT IS AN AMERICAN PROBLEM TO PARAPHRASE!

CALL TO ACTION--DONATE GROCERIES OR MONEY TO YOUR FOOD BANK TODAY AND BECOME A PART OF THE SOLUTION.

[RachelMc]

I once challenged all pro-life people on YouTube to feed ALL starving children and THEN worry about the unborn later.... no response but the same jargon.. "life is better than no life" damn the quality tho. who cares if they eventually die anyways from lack of nutrition coupled with poor healthcare? not pro-life ppl. they only want children born and that's it. These are the mostly the same ppl who are so high off church lit claiming that "God does not put a mouth on earth that He can not feed," and then they turn the cheek at the stats and reality of child poverty and starvation.

[helonias]

One nation under god who's kid said

"You treat me as you treat the least of you"

[peeweeH]

Will the figure be higher for 2008? Will it surpass the number from 1998 when Clinton was in office and the economy was much stronger?

[amistad]

Clinton was working with a GOP dominated house and senate and those repbus made sure to tie Clinton's hands. What is Bush's excuse? Funding the War? Deragulating Wall street?
FYI the 2008 numbers will be a direct result of the Bush administration and has nothing to do with Obama's Presidency.
Tr0ll.

[amistad]

Actually, you are the ignorant one.
If you look to the legislation passed during the Clinton Administration you will see how the repub senate added items to these bills that crippled the system. You will also see who supported them and who did not.
The child poverty gap was at it's lowest during the Clinton Administration; he worked to offset the debilitating policies put in place by the GOP and did a good job while balancing the budget and even leaving a surplus.
Tr0ll.
At least I have a mother. Apparently you do not.

[my2girls]

I can only imagine that the number will go higher considering the worsening economic conditions.

[AlligatorShuz]

Poverty and illiteracy is a passion of mine that is really true to my heart. How can we live in a country where we says it is ok to bail out companies but he hate to feed people espically children. In the states with the highest levels of children hungry they profess to be evengalical christans who profess to love the Lord but hate everybody who don't look like them and has contemp for the poor.

[ramal]

THIS is your legacy President Bush.

[my2girls]

I thought I was angry at Bush before but now I am irate. We can't even manage to feed our children??? I thought we were suppose to be the greatest country on earth.

[BPCentrisAmerican]

Can I play golf now, i'm tired of this job, George Bush?

[Kalima]

I can believe it. In the country I reside, most people would like to believe, there is no homeless
problem here, I've seen them huddled in public parks and in subway stations during the winter
months. We see what we want to see and ignore the rest.

[TocinoHumano]

You would think that, with all the talk during the campaign from the major-party candidates about poverty and hunger...

Oh wait, that's right--they never talked about it.

[amistad]

Actually, Obama talked about it. He talked to America and encouraged them to think collectively, to be responsible for each other's health and welfare, that we are all in this together. He called on us to work together to make America great again. This includes poverty and hunger issues. You weren't listening.

[BPCentrisAmerican]

American kids are hungry and Iraqi kids get blown up, great legacy Mr. Bush.

In a PBS “American Experience” documentary about the various presidents, very unbiased and non-critical, it was mentioned how Ronald Reagan seemed completely oblivious to the increasing homelessness during his 2nd term, than again Reagan was oblivious to many things. This is the Republican DNA, a core value, domestic issues just don't interest them, blame Americans first, if GM is having problems, Heritage, as well as red-neck Southern congressmen, who represent the poorest, least educated states in the Union are blaming American labor.

This morning Andy Card who refuses to ansure a Congressional summons is blaming so call legacy and healthcare cost, saying that Japanese and German companies don't have these cost. What Mr. Card didn’t say is that in Japan, Germany and South Korea as well as every other industrialized nation are more concerned with the well being of there own citizens rather than trying to bend the world to there will with military force, I guess Europe destroying itself twice in one century was enough for them. This is why the Republican Party has lost big in 2 elections cycles, they don’t think twice about pissing away trillions in Iraq, than quibble about fiscal responsibility in relation to domestic concerns, while the economy is collapsing around them.

[levi501]

News is exaggerating the problem for political purposes.

The report author Mark Nord argues that the reported 700K is only a small fraction of the entire country. This number is defined has having experienced hunger "a few days, 7 out of 10 months." Finally, of the 700K only 1/3 did not even access resources available to them.

http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/ERR66/ERR66.pdf

I wonder if they include my kids that go to bed hungry when they don't eat their broccoli?

Sadly, you liberals use this number to beat up on Bush. Your vilify Republicans as if we have anything to with some kids going to be hungry. How can you be so foolish?

The truth is that no one can stop hunger, government or charity. As humans we should always fight to reduce hunger and we should never be satisfied. However, why can't we look at this number and take pride knowing it's about as low as statistically possible?

Levi

[amistad]

Any child, ANY, that has to go hungry at any time in "the greatest country in the world" is a tr@versity.
Sadly, you right wing repugs like to downplay anything having to do with poor people and thier needs. Republicans care nothing for middle or poor classes and make policy that h u r t these people in selfish, self serving ways.
All the while pitting the poor aginst the poor with r @ c i s m, b*g g o t ry , and h @ t r e d.

The real truth is: every one can stop hunger. The government and charity can work together to make this happen. As well as each one of us. I give to shelters and food banks and there are those like me who do the same. Because I care. Apparently you do not. How GOP of you.

[Tom Joad]

In your mind, what is acceptable about children going hungry "a few days, 7 out of 10 months." ? Obviously, you are not hungry "a few days, 7 out of 10 months." This is not just a national scandal. It is shameful beyond words. Government can and should do a great deal more to provide assistance to those in need. Why government? Because you won't.

[dutch163]

it is a "ripple effect"...when the "trickle down theory" doesn't work
when the CEO's make 262x what the worker does
there is a disproportionate amount of assets at the top
this is the economic situation created by the deregulation folks
the largest disparity between the "haves" and the the "have nots" since the depression

it just makes the fight to reduce hunger that much harder

[MountainMarge]

Political spin on such a serious problem is sad, sad, sad! NO CHILD should experience hunger even one day in this wonderful Country of ours.

CALL TO ACTION---EACH WHO READS THIS NEEDS TO MAKE A FOOD DONATION TODAY TO INSTITUTIONS WHO CAN GET THE FOOD TO THE CHILDREN IN NEED! GET OUT TO YOUR STORE TODAY AND BUY RICE AND BEANS, OR WHATEVER YOU CAN. ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS!

[PierreLeClerke]

"There are none so blind as those that will not see".

The arrogance of entitlement is our Nations greatest disgrace.

Within our citizenry we have a small percentage of FORTUNATE individuals that either by birth, or by their ability to extract the optimum advantage from the vast resources made available as a result of over three hundred years of blood sweet and sacrifice of generations of Americans, Pioneers, Explorers, Laborers, Soldiers, Sailors, Farmers, Teachers, Innovators, Immigrants of all stripes.

Millions of People, that have carved a Great Nation from the wilderness and built the roads, bridges, schools, water & waste systems, power plants and grids and all the institutions that provide the strength and structure to the society that enables the wealthy to prosper and secure,"THEIR REWARDS"!

In the history of the human condition, when balance and equity are lost via greed and corruption of basic human equity, collapse of the subject society is ALWAYS forthcoming.

Look around the world and into history America. The suffering of the poor, especially among children, is increasing in any Nation, this serves as an absolute marker of the imminant downfall and ultimate collapse of the subject Nation.

Care for the "Children of the Poor and you will begin to correct this most urgent symptom of this gross imbalance.

The "Fruits of your labors are not your own to hoard, they are the harvest of the collective efforts of the multitude and balance will come. It is natures way. It is God's way!

[AlligatorShuz]

Look at some of the states with the largest number of children in poverty Texas, Mississippi and Arkansas and they all went for the GOP in this past election. They didn't add Louisiana in the top states. There is no reason children in this country should be hungry! Bill Clinton goes all over the world fighting hunger and the state where he once governed has high levels of poverty and illiteracy. This shouldn't be happening here in America.

[Tom Joad]

I live in Arkansas. In the most Republiban county in my state, 21% of population live in poverty as defined by the federal government. These are poor, uneducated, southern white people. They voted overwhelming for The Republiban and against their own self-interests. This is the great triumph of The Republiban - convincing these people they are 'for' them by virtue of shared religious beliefs. The hypocrisy is obvious. Meanwhile, I try to teach their hungry children everyday.

Note also the state with the highest growth in hunger and food insecurity - Alaska. Nice work, Sarah.

[AlligatorShuz]

I was born in Magnolia, Columbia County, Arkansas and I know that the majority people who live in poverty in Columbia County are black children. And Columbia County went to McCain/Palin during this last election. I have seen poverty in southwest Arkansas that I couldn't beleive there was no federal dollars going to those areas to help feed hungry children. But I am going to start to help those people find the necessary money to help those people feed hungry children.

[BPCentrisAmerican]

The poorest welfare states, with the worst educations levels, highest divorce rates, highest drug usage, are the most conservative, go figure

[Midnightrain]

So much for compassionate conservatism. Heh. Childhood hunger is a sign of a barbaric society, so much for the type of civilization we continue to force on the world.