Whose Responsibility Is It to Feed America's Hungry?

Hunger is a deplorable problem in America. We all know that every child should have breakfast; working parents should be able to support a family; and seniors should be able to afford both medication and food.

But whose responsibility is it to make sure that the basic needs of our neighbors are met? Yours? Mine? Charities'? Corporations'? The government's? The reality is that everyone needs to join the effort to fight hunger in America today.

Hunger has a devastating effect on the health of our nation. It diminishes our educational system, weakens our workforce, destroys our communities, undermines our security, lessens our spending power, and cripples our ability to compete in the global economy.

I am struck by a story I heard from one of our food banks in Indiana. A school outreach coordinator, whose job it is to connect local children and their families with city resources, informed us that the parents of her students often work two or three jobs, and still can't earn enough to cover the cost of bills and food.

Through the Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana's BackSack Program, she is able to serve only 30 of the many students who don't get enough to eat. She told us, "if we are able to just provide those kids with food on those Saturdays and Sundays when they're not sure if anything will be on the table, then, hopefully, they will do better in school than they're doing right now."

Food is a basic of human life, and without it, everything else suffers.

Every person and every sector has an obligation to help our fellow citizens and ensure America's prosperity. Hunger is an urgent issue in America, and we must do something about it now. Not tomorrow or next year, but now. People are suffering today.

September is Hunger Action Month and countless individuals, non-profit organizations, business and elected officials are taking action to end hunger in their communities. Right now, more than 150 Feeding America food banks are hosting events to raise awareness, food, funds, volunteers and support that will help them feed men, women and children all year long.

You can help too. Visit HungerActionMonth.org or contact your local food bank to find an event or learn how you help fight hunger this month. Every person has a duty to support their community and their country. Take action, help your neighbors. There is no time to wait.

 

Comments

[Sandra Donaldson]

03:08 PM on 10/21/2011

Just a couple of years ago I could afford to buy food. Now here is my case. Now the taxes on my house have gone up so much in just a few years that my house payment is more than $100.00 more now a month than what it used to be. Last year our family insurance went up $100.00 a month, this year, $200.00 a month. Last year we had to use our savings to enrole our kids in school and this year we had to borrow money to enrole our kids in school because we do not qualify for reduced. I get paid twice a month. One of my checks makes the house payment, and the other one makes the car payment and insurance payments. What my husband makes just enough to pay the other bills such as light, heat, phone, ect. We do not even run the airconditioning in the summer, even this last summer when it was up over 100 degrees for most of it. My husband and I because we both have jobs and make money, we don't qualify to get any assistance for help with food even though we try to be responsible by paying our bills and taxes on time. We are not looking for a hand out, we liked it better when we could take care of ourself. I think that it is government inability to regulate themselves and make good decisions that caused things to get this bad.

[ClarcKing]

09:08 AM on 09/23/2011

Severe weather, hyper-inflation, usury and speculation, the monetary system are contracting the food supply. The USDA, the Dept of Agriculture is indifferent to the farmers struggle to get land seeded and ready for harvest. Land not being used in conformance to Federal Conservation policy must be released, made available to help remedy the food crisis. Red winter wheat is supposed to be planted now, much of our farmland is under drought and wild fire conditions. Corn and wheat production has been severely reduced.

The US National Bank must be created to issue the necessary credit for seed and farm equipment. The USDA must act to support farm and food production. Get speculation out of farm commodity pricing. Stop the useless Federal Ethanol program that is taking corn for gas/alcohol manufacture and divert it back to food production.

The crisis is not being broadcast to Americans who will only experience high food prices because of scarcity and speculation.

Stop the bailouts, set the national priorities to foster humanity. Recover the bailout trillions, rebuild our national food, energy, housing and Health systems. Glass-Steagall in US banking must be implemented immediately, put the Fed into bankruptcy protection. Create the US National Bank that funds the 50 states, then fund the necessary economy platform NAWAPA and its ancillary facilities that enhance the population's physical economy. Stop Perpetual War. No other options exist.

[Evan Pritchard]

09:06 AM on 09/23/2011

Mine, yours, and everyone's. The end.

[mikey09]

08:45 AM on 09/23/2011

I've never known food insecurity, I live rural and practice many of the old ways in preserving food, I also have been teaching the younger generation the craft....I bothers me greatly that we could have anyone hungry in this country, we can grow enough food. Our local all volunteer "community kitchen" recently came under attack by a group saying we didn't provide home delivery or takeout....well, we do work with Meals on Wheels and other church groups to get meals to shut ins, but no we don't have take out....we don't have the serving plates etc for take-out, we use old fashioned plates and wash them after...lol.....we asked if we could get donations of things like used butter plastic butter dishes, sour cream containers etc to help in sending soups etc to the shut-in but were told no, we would need to purchase those items new....and that takes money from the food budget....we get the location, electricity etc free, but we buy the foods through donated money and its often not enough.....we thoughtof maybe sandwiches etc could be served for people who did not want to stay and eat in the cafeteria, but that idea did not go over well.

[Minolta321]

08:39 AM on 09/23/2011

You make some assumptions which aren't true.

For instance "working parents should be able to afford a family". That's not true. Not if they both work entry level jobs say stocking store shelves or cleaning toilets and what have you. Some jobs are not meant to be life long careers. Some jobs are not career position and should not pay to support a family. Some jobs are perfect for teenagers getting some money after school or college kids picking up coin on the side or retired folks bring in a little extra income. We can't afford a society in which every single job makes you a middle income and supports a three bedroom ranch with two cars.

You remove the prime responsibility from the individual and declare that it's governments responsibility to feed everyone, to see that everyone is middle income. To force even the simplistic of jobs to be a life long career position. And that's not the world we want because the end of it is economic collapse....it's not a good world to live in.

[Aneesia]

08:31 AM on 09/23/2011

. The government caused the problem by sending jobs overseas for cheap labor and to avoid safety and environmental laws...the solution is not in the same place the problem started.
Where I live in Ky., the churches, organizations, businesses and individuals do their part to help the needy....it's in the fabric of life here...people count.

[Flavor]

04:30 AM on 09/23/2011

Let me tell you something thats a (Fact), this actually is no new news. In Chicago public schools, they really have to have the free lunch, why? because this is probably the only way the children would get breakfast & stay in school, a known (fact) for years & years. One not told by society, Yes!!!!!! America this is no new news, whats new is that their are new faces to the poor now, due to the rise in unemployment.

[crdcalusa]

02:26 AM on 09/23/2011

I agree with the majority of people here who are saying that food is a basic necessity and all of us having food benefits us all! The government won't be able to meet individual food needs like each of us can. The simple act of helping locally communicates caring and respect like no government program can. I don't have a lot and I rent a room in someone else's house so I can afford the basics and still, I see that I don't have to eat three extravagant meals a day to stay healthy. I'm happy to share a few dollars or make a few meals for a neighbor. Hey, if everybody ate lower on the food chain like our household does, many more would be as healthy as we are. Yes, there are many ways to accomplish this simple task. The first step is to have the intention to come together for a solution and to want to feed all of us. We can all read and encourage each other to learn how to eat to maintain health instead of using food as a mood enhancer.

[joni brit]

12:18 AM on 09/23/2011

you know what they say, "Government and anarchy are only seven meals apart." Never under estimate the power of a good meal!

[TheCycad]

12:11 AM on 09/23/2011

It is the responsibility of every American citizen.

[Rooster Coburn]

12:08 AM on 09/23/2011

Why can't supermarkets have a "Round Up" program so that if your total at the check-out came to, say, $67.43 you could "round up" your total due to $68.00 or even to $70.00 or whatever amount you chose, with the added "round up" amount going to local food banks and homeless shelters? Many persons might find this to be a "painless" way to help feed the less fortunate among us.

[Elijah A Alexander Jr]

09:50 PM on 09/22/2011

Being 35 years a nomad I can say it's everyone's responsibility to ensure food reaches everyone. It's easy if we follow 2 Biblical passages, Genesis 1:29's "...Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat" and Matthew 6:26's "Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?"

Simply said, eat what grows without fire processing and we will have food enough for everyone for if it produces a seed it's food. We've forget we are a part of earth's environment since being taught erroneously, because dominion's original definition is "to exceed the ability of," we are to control everything here. If we lived harmoniously with the environment all our needs would be met and we would not need all the "stuff" we depends on.

Realize it's WE THE PEOPLE'S constitutional responsibility is to ensure no man controls food and water to the extent any life lacks those most basic needs. The earth belongs to all life with enough food for all, it's the illusion money is power that blinds us to earth's harmonious life. Let's Educate ourselves with truth and bring back that free life.

[Rhonda Merritt]

07:49 PM on 09/22/2011

Here in Ca. a public service announcement proclaims that 40% of the children on food assistance programs are overweight or obese. The govt, is never an effective means to finding solutions. Too much for some none for others. Local solutions to local problems would be more a more flexible means to provide for temporary assistance.

[mslindac]

08:41 PM on 09/22/2011

They're obese because healthy food costs a lot more than processed junk and parents who work multiple jobs don't have time left to cook nutritious meals. Poor people have always been heavier and less healthy than the more affluent. The government doesn't have much to do with it.

[hypnotoad72]

09:43 PM on 09/22/2011

Well said.

Especially as people are conditioned to buy what's cheap, regardless of how it is made.

Government doesn't condition, unless it tells the media what to say... last time I checked, the government doesn't, and the media prefers to tell what rakes in the viewers as that means the potential for more money.

Fanned and faved.

[joni brit]

12:01 AM on 09/23/2011

yes its very true, but with Government burdened by debt and deficit, this is an issue to be taken up on a local and voluntary effort by communities, the communities will gain more than the ones being fed.

[Edward Standley]

08:44 PM on 09/22/2011

Obesity among the poor is most often not a matter of "too much food", but the wrong foods.

[mslindac]

09:29 PM on 09/22/2011

Exactly.

[luapmi2]

03:53 AM on 09/23/2011

Calories are calories. TOO MUCH FOOD. We are not talking volume, we are talking caloric intake.

[tutorintoledo]

07:42 PM on 09/22/2011

I totally agree that it is everyones problem and everyone should contribute - and sometimes we have to get creative in how we help. For instance my summer school recommendations last year were based not only on grades and ability to learn, but also on who I knew wouldn't get breakfast and lunch over summer vacation. A poor family you know might cringe at being given food by you, but I bet they'd come over for dinner or a BBQ once in a while!

[joni brit]

11:54 PM on 09/22/2011

Hey tutorintoledo, you speak like a very wise person. charity benefits the person giving more than the one receiving, so we have to be very careful not to embarrass anyone.

[FreedomMan]

07:18 PM on 09/22/2011

I recently met a Christian Pastor and the conversion came around to hungry family's in America.
He stated fondly how when he was a boy they grew there own food on the farm.

I asked him how that would apply today when so few people are on farms to grow their could food... ?
He thought for moment, then eureka! They could grow vegetables their yards! I replied what if they lived in apartments.... ? He stated they could grow vegetables in pots outside their windows . . and I said what if they did not have any sunny windows? He said they then could then try a church near to them. . . . Hmmmmm..... should I have then asked . . . are churches growing vegetables for the hungry nowadays?

[almostlyniceguy]

08:59 PM on 09/22/2011

And who is buying the seeds and plants? Who is teaching those that have never done this how to take care of plants?

Christianity at work.

[hypnotoad72]

09:48 PM on 09/22/2011

and watering... irrigation is not cheap...

Fanned and faved as well.

[PatA]

12:50 AM on 09/23/2011

Please see my post about community gardens. Donations from feed stores (plants and seeds), tools from hardware stores and the community gathers ALL the seeds that they can for the next year. I find other folks in the community who remember growing gardens and they teach very well. The youngsters are drawn to them and before you know it, the entire family is involved.

The roto-tillers are borrowed from people who had the "urge" and gave it up due to age, illness or being too busy.There is a solution to every problem if you put some thought into it.

It is called ingenuity and I am NOT affiliated with any church. I just got up off my ass and went to work...just like you could if you wanted to.

[hypnotoad72]

09:48 PM on 09/22/2011

And maybe that guy could, eureka, figure out how growing food in one bucket in one apartment's window sill won't provide a day's sustenance, and one 6x15' garden only goes so far as well.  Nobody's going to stop by to fill it with bread and fish, or to make rainy days drip down wine instead, complete with pamphlets on how we can teach ourselves to fish when the bait costs too much...

I should be amused except that guy is hardly alone in being so grossly myopic...

True, every bit helps, buckets and all, but growing vegetables in yards and buckets on sills is like using a thimble to scoop out the water filling in the Titanic...

Fanned and faved.

[PatA]

12:45 AM on 09/23/2011

I grew sweet potatoes and tomatoes in 5 gallon buckets from a feed store. I also got half sized drums (they had held molasses for sweet feed). They were $3 each. I grew potatoes and peppers in those. I had a garden that was 15X15 and grew cantaloupes, cucumbers and melons on trellises that I made out of scraps that I picked up on curbs. I grew okra and corn in the garden rows. I also grew onions and garlic in the garden. I grew herbs in old wooden boxes that I had found on the curb. I also grew herbs in the big tubs.

The feed store gave me old hay that was laying around for mulch and I made a compost pile by buying two sacks of two dollar top soil and added my food scraps.I asked my neighbors for their grass clippings and I also used the oak and pecan leaves that fell. The earthworms loved it.I made enough pizza sauce out of tomatoes, basil,bell peppers and onions to freeze for winter. It is just like fresh on a cold winter's day. I froze okra and tomatoes for gumbo. I froze chopped basil in ice cubs.

I always wet down newspapers in a trash barrel. I tear them up and add water. After they are soaked.........mulch to hold water in.

What else do you want. hypnotoad?