The Problem of Hunger

Hunger in Florida and the U.S.

In December 2005, the US Conference of Mayors reported a dismal picture of growing hunger among low-income, working families in America and reported a dramatic decrease in 2005 in the ability of most of the nation's major cities to meet these basic needs.
The Mayors’ report is one of many credible examinations of hunger in America. America’s Second Harvest, the Nation’s Food Bank Network with over 200 members, produced a study in early 2006 showing that its member food banks serve more than 25 million people every year, including 9 million children! This was an increase of two million people over the number last reported in 2001. To read the study: www.hungerinamerica.org
According to the U.S. Census, 37 million people – one out of eight Americans – are living in poverty in 2006. That is 1.1 million more than last year, and 3 million more than two years ago. Of these, 13 million are children and 3.6 million are seniors. It is no mystery that impoverished people are the human beings who face the travesty of hunger. Within the service area of the Harry Chapin Food Bank, more than 110,000 of our neighbors live at or below the federal poverty level. In the Food Bank’s service area, tens of thousands of working families live slightly better at income rates that are still labeled low-income. It is these people in poverty and those who live just above poverty who need emergency food from the Harry Chapin Food Bank.
In the Food Bank’s service area, the causes of hunger include unemployment, low-paying jobs, skyrocketing housing and utility costs, and high medication costs faced by seniors. In Southwest Florida, the fastest growing segments of need include
1) seniors living on very fixed incomes,
2) the working poor, and
3) children.
The day-to-day existence and struggles of the Food Bank’s clients are often heartbreaking and almost always hidden. Many parts of the Food Bank’s service area are affected by poverty, poor nutrition, and related health problems. Sub-standard housing is often present, and problems like broken families, homelessness, substance abuse, unemployment, crime, and adolescent pregnancies round out this picture of hopelessness.
The Board, staff, and volunteers of the Harry Chapin Food Bank are particularly concerned by the increasing problems of childhood and senior hunger. Since nutrition affects a child's cognitive, social, and emotional development, children who do not get the nutritious food their bodies need are more likely to have problems learning, growing, and interacting. Like childhood hunger, hunger experienced by seniors can have a lasting and life-altering effect. Studies indicate that insufficient nutrient intake by seniors compromises the efficacy of prescription drugs and retards physician prescribed medical treatment, thereby reducing the quality and longevity of life.