Hunger Persists Despite Booming EconomyBread for the World By David Beckmann, People living in one out of ten households in our country are forced to skip meals, eat less, or simply lack access to adequate amounts of nutritious food. It is alarming to think that in the midst of a booming economy, 12 million children and their families are threatened by hunger. Just having a job offers no guarantee against hunger. Families supported by minimum wage workers still live in poverty. And 10 million fewer people receive food stamps now than in 1994, a drop larger than the strong economy would warrant.  Most people who go hungry in the United States are white. But hunger is disproportionately more pervasive among people of color: one out of five African American or Hispanic families are hungry or at risk of hunger. We are pleased that the Department of Agriculture is collecting hunger data, and that Vice President Al Gore is bringing attention to this important issue. However, there is much that needs to be done—both by Congress and the administration—in order to end the scandal of hunger that persists in the world's wealthiest nation. Bread for the World seeks to strengthen the food stamp program and increase the minimum wage to help more working people make work pay. We can end hunger in our richly blessed land. No other industrial country still puts up with widespread hunger within its borders. Bread for the World is a 44,000 member Christian citizens' movement against hunger. Founded in 1974, Bread for the World's members lobby Congress and the administration to bring about public policy changes that address the root causes of hunger and poverty in the United States and overseas. Bread for the World is a non-partisan organization sponsored by 45 denominations and many theological perspectives.
For more information, or to contact Bread for the World, see their website at: www.bread.org |
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