Growing up in a town that is heavily populated with low income families, I felt like I had seen most of the struggles first hand not knowing all the issues behind and kept inside the homes of each family. I feel like it is a major issue in America and not enough is being done to help stop it. Food availability is something that goes at the top of the chain. If food is not available then hunger sets in, which results in not getting adequate nutrition. Even though that is a simple chain it causes a tremendous amount of health issues for many
If you or your family needs food assistance, the Haymarket Regional Food Pantry will help.” (Haymarket Regional Food Pantry/ Haymarket, Virginia 20168). There are many factors contributing to feeding the poor. They can be medical, environmental, behavioral, nutritional, or due to other situations that face the under privileged. The need for food locally, nationally and worldwide is a never ending issue. The Haymarket Regional Food
The health difficulties also become the importance of families seeking for help as Flood claims 30% of the households have at least one member in poor health, and 35% of adult recipients do not have health insurance, the decision of purchasing food with less nutritional values also causing diabetes and obesity to each household members and children, Flood says, “Poor nutrition is a leading cause of many of the major killers in our society, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and many types of cancer.”, but it is also causing the food trade is getting more difficult when it focuses on one person’s health. Family members would need to find a job that will help them pay for utilities, food and transportation and even have enough to save for another day. Flood also claims that there has been more fruits and vegetables provided for students during school during lunch hour. Some students that skip breakfast, there has been schools that allow all students in the class eat in the classroom during the morning so they would not need to skip any meals. It is important for everyone to get his or her nutritional values everyday.
ß But, right now 20 million children are currently on the Free and Reduced lunch programs provided by schools. And on average the federal government is paying about 6 dollars a day to feed each on of these kids. (Two meals breakfast and lunch). So lets say each one of these 20 million children are eating these two meals every day all year. So that’s 175 school days times 6 dollars a day.
In the United States, there are currently hundreds of options available to address hunger. The most common options are the SNAP program, state food banks, and local food pantries. However, there are many advantages and disadvantages to all of the options for hunger. SNAP stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. SNAP provides about $1.40 per meal per day to help citizens pay for their meals.
Majority of the times parents aren’t home enough with their child to give them a well prepared and healthy meal, more times parents just came from work and order fast food. These parents need to be told that their children are at risk for poor organ functioning due to large amounts of fat inhibiting normal function, that the excess weight will place unnecessary strains on growing joints and limbs, and that the adipose tissue will have major effects on the metabolic and endocrine systems (Ruxton,
This leads to exchanging benefits for cash or other items in return for the use of the card. In most cases families that are in need and struggling are receiving aid from the state. “The Food Stamp Program pumped over $896 million into the Michigan economy last year, resulting in approximately $1.649 billion of economic activity in the state, with direct impact on farmers, grocers, and small businesses in the state”. The Michigan farmers association is working closely with the farmers markets to make the availability to purchase healthy fruits, vegetables easier for all card
According to V.O.A.W.W. (2013), “Volunteers of America Food Banks in Everett, Sultan, Mill Creek and Greenwood/North Seattle distribute emergency food to families, children, seniors, and individuals with disabilities.” Not only do they provide food to those in need, they work with community partners and coalitions to leverage community resources and raise awareness and support for the hungry community. “Many local economic factors contribute to this demand on our food bank services, and we find that the vast majority of our main customers- 50% are children and seniors- come from working households, families on unemployment or those on fixed incomes who struggle to make ends meet.” States the V.O.A.W.W.
There are different physiological and psychological effects of poverty that can harm individuals in several ways; When you are poor, you have don't have enough food to satisfy your hunger which can have an effect on your education. Due to the fact that you lack the ability to concentrate, it strongly affects the physical and intellectual growth of children and adults. When you don’t have proper education, you are not able to get a decent job. Even if you do get a job, it would be very long hours, hard work and less money. That can have an effect on your children, your, your partner or anyone that lives with you or depends on
America Is Hungry Martin Luther King once said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”. Hunger, though it may not be widely known, is an ongoing issue in the United States. It is known everywhere that obesity is a huge problem in America, but the opposite is also true. Many people living in the United States, especially in the South, live in food conscious homes. No one should be in hunger in the United States.