"President Obama told a story on the campaign trail about a young volunteer named Ashley who, when her and her mom were on food stamps, would eat ketchup and mustard sandwiches and convince her mom that they were her favorite thing to eat. I'm a hunger advocate because I don't want any kid to ever have to eat ketchup and mustard sandwiches, and I don't want any parent to ever have to experience the heartbreak of not being able to afford nutritious food for their children." ~ From an advocate
My cousin Lindsey (who is basically my sister), works in DC for Feeding America, the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity whose mission is to feed America's hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks and to engage the country in the fight to end hunger. While she works on issues of hunger and poverty in the U.S., I watch from the sidelines at the amazing work her and her organization are working on. For example, did you know 13.3 million or approximately 18% of children in the U.S. live in poverty--the rate of poverty for children under 18 remains higher than those aged 18 - 64 and for those aged 65 and over. It is these startling facts and figures that prompted me to write this particular post.
Today, on the front page of the New York Times was an article about a woman who used to run a homeless shelter and is now homeless. The economic climate has been tough for everyone but for those who were already struggling, it is even worse. I know I am fortunate to not have to worry about where my next meal will come from or how I am going to feed a family, but there are many out there who think about these issues on a daily basis. As the weather has begun to shift, so have people begun talking of the upcoming holiday season. While the thought of hearing jingle bells in November is already haunting me so is the thought of not having enough food in our nation's food banks to really help those in need this holiday season.
Although I have decided to study and follow issues relating to international affairs, I am reminded by my cousin that many of the important issues that I look at through the international lense are in fact right here in our own backyards. As we begin to think about 2010 and the holiday season, think about how fortunate you are and do what you can to make a difference for others. As Sheri West, the woman in the New York Times said today, "No one could have told me in a million years: I'd wake up in a homeless shelter. I had a house for homeless people. Now I'm homeless." Take this time to think about how fortunate you are and what you can do to make a difference for others.
Until next time I ask all of you--who inspires you to make a difference?? What are the causes that matter most to you and to your communities?
This photo is of First Lady Michelle Obama, Jill Biden, and other congressional spouses at a Feeding America event at the Capitol Area Food Bank in Washington, DC.
* Note: For more information, to donate or to get more facts and figures you can go online to Feeding America
Hey, this is really a chilling article. I think since you've run this story there was a study that showed that one half of children in the US rely on food stamps at one point in their life. Faces of Hunger is an organization that is not seeking only a charitable response, but wants the root causes of hunger in the US to be addressed. It's not lack of resources or drought or any environmental cause, in our country, hunger is caused by social forces such as inequality and low wage jobs. To change the statistics, we need only change our will and our policies. To this end, we've created a film contest open to filmmakers age 25 and under on the subject "Faces of Hunger in America." Please come see their work and vote. These young filmmakers are the visionaries of tomorrow. Thanks!