Analysis Of Growing Up Empty: Hunger In America

It was difficult to read that countless millions of federal dollars and many of our country's most successful efforts to halt the spread of childhood hunger and starvation have recently been withdrawn. And as a result, this problem of childhood hunger is not getting better but is actually getting worse. The most recent estimates compiled by the USDA in 1999 indicate that 36.2 million Americans live in food-insecure households, which means that their access to adequate and safe food is limited or uncertain. This too is very disturbing information.

So, why do fifteen million children in America face hunger every day? How does this happen? Many people are on food stamps, and they can be extremely helpful, but it is difficult to feed family with them. Food stamps provide only a dollar per person for each meal, according to the organization, Food is Power. More often than not, unhealthy, processed foods are a lot less expensive than nutritious, organic food, and because of this issue, many people on food stamps reach for less expensive junk food. Unquestionably, healthy foods can be very hard to find and expensive in places like food deserts. Food is Power found that thirty-three percent of Americans live in food deserts. Of course, public transportation helps families reach grocery stores, but it still can be a lengthy trip, and in rural and suburban areas, there can be little or no public transportation at all. These issues make it a struggle for parents to provide healthy food for their

Food insecurity can the idea of not knowing whether food will be available at the time, it can also be defined as deciding how the low income will be distributed from utilities to nourishment. Taking this into perspective, close to 88 percent of the American population does not have to worry about food insecurity, yet this issue affects 12 percent of Americans having to choose between keeping their families warm versus full. Although the term fed and full are used much differently when viewing a family with a low income. In most scenarios, low income families must reside in the low income neighborhoods, where they can obtain the basic of shelter. Still these neighborhoods lack the steady availability of nutritious foods. This issue arises for two reasons, affordability and lack of income. The lack of means to pay for these groceries holds to be the focal reason why grocers cannot be made readily obtainable for these areas let alone those with money variability (Berg 120). Aside from the lack of

Though it is not right for any child, mother, father, etc. to go hungry sometimes us Americans need to take the time to think about how lucky we are to live in a country that provides us with opportunities for food assistance programs. Berg quotes Robert Rector about how hunger America actually is, “But while hunger does exist in the United States, it is relatively restricted in scope and frequency. For example, [federal] survey data…show[s] 96 percent of US households report they have “enough food to eat,” (p. 113). One in six people in America report having food security (uncertain availability to adequate food in the past 12 months), but somehow almost half of the food in the United States goes to waste today according to “Wasted: How America is losing up to 40 percent of its food from farm to fork to landfill” by Gunders. (2012).

Food insecurity is one of the leading public health challenges in the United States today, since millions of people (children and adults) are food insecure because of insufficient money income and other socioeconomic and demographic factors. (Seligman, Kushel, & Laraia, 2010)

Hunger throughout America is something that 12 million Americans are battling with everyday. That’s one in every six people (dosomething.org) In Texas alone, 4,320,050 people are tackling hunger and of those 4,320,050 people, 1,713,430 are children- or one in four children throughout Texas (Feeding America). Throughout North Texas, “the number of people living in poverty is 631,261” (Glean Texas). Since hunger is tied to poverty, it is assumed that those living in poverty in North Texas are also living with hunger insecurities. To brighten things up a bit, Flower Mound, is considered to be a more wealthier town in North Texas. Ranked by the American City Business, Flower Mound is “number 21 on a list of the top 50 cities in the Southern

Although the United States government spends $176 billion on hunger programs every year, there are currently more than 46 million Americans going hungry every day. In the U.S. every county, state, or congressional district experiences some form of malnutrition and hunger. Right now there is a rapid increase in the number of hungry Americans and the issue is quickly becoming problematic. Today one in six Americans participate in one or more of the fifteen nutrition assistance programs funded by the government and provided by the USDA. Recently more people have begun to question what hunger really is, what all the programs actually do, and what their results are.

Does anyone ever think about the effect going hungry has on a person’s overall health? Yes, they may not be obese as the rest of the country, but there are other health effects that directly affect a person when it comes to being food insecure. Food insecurity is defined as the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food. Hunger in the United States affects so many people, more than one realizes for a country that is so well established. Huger affects children, seniors, different cultures, people that live in the rural areas of the country, and even the working class Americans in your surrounding communities, essentially your neighbors! Our government has established a few programs to help curb this health issue for our public and some have shown to be very effective. You may not think of having food stamps would help someone with their health issues such as getting better sleep, or depression. But if one person’s life was saved by having a reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food source I would say this is a bigger issue in our country than we think it is.

What may be hard to see is that hunger is everywhere. Yes, hunger is in Africa and third-world countries, but also in the United States. Childhood hunger is nearly a bigger issue than overall hunger in the United States. Studies show that hunger among children has a higher percentage than hunger as a whole (Feeding America 28). It is found that children suffer from food insecurity in every county in the United States (Feeding America 30). It is easy to sit back and think that everyone has the financial and physical means to find food, but they do not. Over thirty percent of all children (under the age of eighteen) in New Mexico live in food insecure households; this state has the highest percent in the entire United States (Feeding America

On one side of the issue the supporters of developmental aid believe that the United States is doing more than a great job by offering economic assistance to countries that need help to develop. These individuals are aware of the unfortunate poverty levels in many countries abroad. They believe that it is the duty of the American people to help reduce the poverty levels in countries in which people live with less than a dollar a day. In fact, some supporters believe that the U.S. is not offering enough support to the poorer countries. Many have

Sending massive amounts of foreign aid to other countries impacts countless lives. Many people, like Johnson C. Montgomery, believe that foreign aid is a waste of money. Foreign aid is defined as “economic, technical, or military aid given by one nation to another for purposes of relief and rehabilitation, for economic stabilization, or for mutual defense”. Montgomery wrote an article, which was published in Newsweek in 1974, stating his opinion on this issue. He was a California attorney and a member of the Zero Population Growth and attended Harvard University and the Stanford University Law School. His main claim in his article is that the US shouldn’t share wealth with other poorer nations. Montgomery is incorrect because of three reasons, such as poverty, environmental problems, and medical assistance.

There are many Americans who live in poor conditions, and the United States should consider their needs first before considering the needs of foreign people. The destitute and penniless Americans have priority over the destitute and penniless foreigners. According to Senator Jesse Helms, "We've reached a place in our foreign policy that we need to concentrate on what's good for America and stop this business of handling out money to gonernments all over the world." America's first priority should be toward's the citizens of its nation.

For example; the United States itself and other nations such as Somalia and Congo continue to have people with no shelter over their head and those with no food to eat, regardless of how hard some may strive to make ends meet, they are still in poverty. As those more auspicious, we should consider it as a moral obligation to assist those people who are less fortunate, be it those in the same nation as us or those farther away.

two words are, "foreign aid." Taking a firm stand on either side of this topic

Hunger in America is a societal issue that must receive public attention. Public health advocates are in a position to promote changes that can contribute to food security to the citizens of the nation. Federal efforts and involvement in the expansion of relief programs that are sustained by policy will allow for improvements of the current status of hunger in America. Improvement of food assistance programs that set standards for the nutritional need present in American families and allows the identified families access to resources that benefit their current situation in regards to hunger. The trend among low- income status and families that suffer from hunger is indisputable. Expanding food distribution and establishing food security for families who may not currently be aware or in a position to enroll in assistance programs is a public policy concern. It is the responsibility of the individuals, local and federal government to control and become involved to provide access to quality foods for the citizens of America. Nutrition and disease are clearly linked and malnutrition can heavily impact the health of our nation. Involvement of health public policy in ending hunger is needed to prevent disease and promote wellness. In order for beneficial implementation of health policy, the public and community members must advocate the policy and allow for the policy to be practiced in society. The ethical points involved in this policy involve the extent of funding the cost of