|
'Wake-up call': 1 in 6 went hungry in America in 2008 |
By Marisol Bello, USA TODAY Forty-nine million people in American households — one in six — went hungry or had insufficient food at some point in 2008, the highest number since the government began tracking the problem in 1995. The biggest increases were among households with children and people who were hungry most often. The report, issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
found that 17 million people in the U.S. went hungry or did not
eat regularly for a few days of each month over seven or eight
months last year. That's a 45% increase from 12 million people
in 2007. In 2008, 16.7 million children did not eat regularly at
some point, up from 12.4 million in 2007. "This is a dramatic and alarming increase," said Stacy Dean,
director of food assistance policy at the Center on Budget and
Policy Priorities, which studies policies affecting the poor.
"It confirms that the recession has had an impact on the ability
of millions of Americans to deal with the most basic of issues,
such as can they afford to eat." President Obama said his administration is taking steps to prevent Americans from going hungry by boosting benefits for food stamps and expanding eligibility for school-lunch and breakfast programs. Obama noted food stamp applications are surging and food bank shelves are emptying. In August, 36.5 million people received food stamps, up from 29.5 million in August last year. Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America, the country's largest hunger-relief organization, said its food banks in states hit hardest by the recession, including Nevada, Florida, Michigan, California and Ohio, have seen 50% increases in people turning to them for help. She said donations are up 20%, but that is not enough to meet
the need at her group's 205 food banks. "This is a wake-up
call," Escarra said. "Hunger is the most cruel and concrete sign of poverty," he
said. |
