November 18, 2009
Area Food Banks Show Hunger Rising, Here and Nationwide
A new federal report on the nation's hunger problem shows staggering increases in the numbers of Americans who can't afford enough to eat.
And organizations in the Philadelphia area that help feed the hungry say they are shocked by not surprised.
The USDA report, titled "Household Food Security," shows that 49 million Americans are unable to consistently get enough to eat -- and that's an increase of one-third from the year before.
About 17 million of those people are children.
Bill Clark is executive director of Philabundance:
"We saw this real close when people started approaching our cupboards in record numbers. We got into 2009 and it's even gotten worse. So it just kind of solidified what we had been saying."
Clark says the community must continue to support its local food kitchens, cupboards, and pantries as demand for food goes up and federal and state funding goes down.
And Carrie Morgan, executive director of the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger, says this goes beyond food:
"We have to ask why people are poor in this country, and we have to tell our legislators and we have to tell our representatives that it's not acceptable and that they need to do something about it."
Morgan says Americans must let legislators know that food insecurity is a major issue in the community.
View this article on KYW1060.com
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