Hunger in the United States

Hunger is no longer a distant concept as it is a harsh reality - in fact, today, one in eight Americans require food assistance at some point in their lives. In the New York Times articles, "Food Stamp Use Soars, and Stigma Fades," Matthew Ericson and Janet Roberts describe this phenomenon.Food stamps are now at a record high, and the number of people who use these is climbing each month. Unfortunately, only about two thirds of the people who are eligible actually receive help to curb hunger through food stamps. As a result, our country is full of hungry people, more hungry than they've been at any other time other than the Great Depression.

Janet Poppendieck further describes the hunger epidemic plaguing our nation in "Sweet Charity." The individuals most at risk are women, children, members of racial and ethnic minorities, and the elderly. Further, single parent household are also more at risk than homes with both parents. Individuals at the poverty line do not possess the adequate resources to bear the costs to eat, and are then officially poor by definition. It is suggested that the typical American family should spend a third of their income on food, and if they can't, they join the ranks of the 39 million Americans below the poverty line. However, the poverty line only reflects the cost, not the standard, of living, and it is therefore much harder to qualify. As a result, even if people are hungry, they cannot always get the help that they need.

These articles really hit home for me - during high school, I became really active volunteering for a local homeless shelter called Operation Hope. I served meals every week, and also helped to raise money to support the program. The mission of Operation Hope is to provide the homeless with the food and support they need to find jobs, and ultimately get back on their feet. Unfortunately, with the struggling economy and insecure job market, this is easier said than done. It doesn't seem right that the people who go to work every day, or even those who don't, need to receive food handouts from the pantry. I guess that's just how social constructionism works though - homelessness is a product of countless human choices. Sometimes it's the choices of others that influence this fate - being fired or unable to find a job, the economy - and sometimes, it's due to personal choices - drugs, gambling, or inability to provide for oneself. Even if someone makes bad choices in their life, should they be denied a meal? At what point should people be cut off and forced to fend for themselves? How can the hungry and the homeless reach stability in their lives?