HomeHomeJune 2005
WITNE EXTRA: The Problems of Poverty and Hunger
This summer, as we continue with our series on the questions related to legacy, several events are taking place around the globe dealing with hunger/poverty awareness. These are two of the many pressing issues which are testing our personal and global legacies as citizens of Planet Earth. How will we respond? How should we respond? What are our obligations to our fellow humans?
In the U.S., National Hunger Awareness Day was observed on June 7th, 2005, and coincided with Bread for the World’s "One Table, Many Voices" initiative, held at American University in Washington, D.C. June 4th — 7th, 2005. Bread for the World is one of many organizations sponsoring the mobilization effort against hunger and poverty.
And why should we be so concerned about hunger, especially in the U.S.?
How bad is the problem? We can look to The Center for Hunger and Poverty in the United States at Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts for some of the answers. This Center provides information on Food Insecurity and Hunger in the U.S. Here is a list of their Fast Facts on U.S. hunger:
National Prevalence
- Nearly one in eight US households do not have access to enough food to meet their basic needs. Over 36 million people live in these food-insecure households, including more than 13 million children.
- More than nine million people live in households that go hungry; one-third of these are children.
- Over 40% of low-income children live in households that are hungry or at risk of hunger. Close to one-third of female-headed households and more than 20% of Black and Hispanic households are uncertain of having, or unable to acquire, enough food to meet the basic needs of their members because of insufficient money to buy food.
Emergency Food Assistance
- In 2001, more than 23 million Americans sought emergency food assistance from food banks, church pantries, soup kitchens, meal sites, and shelters. On a monthly basis, this is 6 million more low-income people than are enrolled in the Food Stamp Program.
- Between 2001 and 2002, requests for emergency food assistance increased by an average of 19% in American cities, with 48% of requests coming from families with children.
- Children make up nearly 40% of all emergency food clients. Another 20% are elderly Americans. Nearly 40% of all households served by food banks include someone who is working.
Impact
- Recent research indicates that even mild undernutrition experienced by young children during critical periods of growth may lead to reductions in physical growth and affect brain development.
Clearly, these figures are distressing. And these facts just cover the problem in the U.S.---not the entire globe. It can be overwhelming to consider the millions of human beings–-men, women, and children--who go to bed every night hungry.
Sam Keen, author of the thought-provoking book, Hymns to an Unknown God: Awakening the Spirit in Everyday Life (New York, Bantam Books, 1994), recognizes how shocking and poignant the awareness of global problems can be:
"In a single generation the communications revolution has expanded the community to which we belong from the local to the global. The television news of the day brings a gaunt, dust-covered mass of starving people into my living room. Children with enormous eyes and toothpick-size arms watch me eat granola and fruit…
Suddenly, my nerve endings are stretched, as neighbors I had not known peer at me and demand to be included within my circle of care. As I am moved by compassion for the tragic condition of the unfortunate majority,
I feel a shift in my sense of identity. I realize that I belong to the human family. We are one people, a dis-eased human community.
World citizenship is being thrust upon us, ready or not. In our generation, awareness is growing that for better or worse we live in a global community, but there is yet little commitment to actualize a Compassionate Commonwealth of all peoples. The universal community to which we essentially belong currently exists only in memory and hope. The great spiritual challenge of our time is to mount an expedition to make it actual. This has become our new calling, our new spiritual-political vocation."
At the end of his uplifting book, Mr. Keen lists his fundamental beliefs, acknowledging the "dis-ease" in the world, then offers healing visions and his path. Among this long list of his beliefs are his statements (and suggestions) that:
Virile action is rooted in contemplation.
A perfect world would have no need of me.
Tragedy, injustice, and imperfection provide the tasks that give human life purpose.
As we examine our personal legacies and our legacies as members of the human family, we can begin by educating ourselves about the problems of hunger and poverty, and contemplate our response. There is always room for hope.
Teresa
This Summer The Music World Takes Action:
On July 2nd, a series of five "follow-up" concerts to 1985’s successful Live Aid concert will take place around the world. Sir Bob Geldof, who organized the first concert, is also behind "Live 8." You can read more from the BBC here. The purpose of the concerts is to highlight the problems of global poverty and debt, and to create awareness of the "Make Poverty History" campaign in time for the next G8 Summit, scheduled to take place in Gleneagles, Scotland July 6th — 8th.
Incidentally, U2’s Bono is behind the organization DATA which seeks to alleviate the debt problem in Africa.
There are those who are critical of the leaders of the music world for taking a stand on political issues related to hunger/poverty. Should celebrities try to influence policy, especially when many are far removed from their own personal poverty, and when some individuals and companies stand to make money from these events? Is this a valid criticism? And, would we pay more attention if "non-celebrities" tried to accomplish the same thing?
Additional Resources on Hunger, Poverty and Economic Development:
World Hunger Notes is a service of the World Hunger Education Service. One of the main objectives of WHES is to "inform the community of people interested in issues of hunger and poverty, the public, and policymakers, about the causes, extent, and efforts to end hunger and poverty in the United States and the world." Here is an example of recent hunger-related stories in the U.S.
The East Texas Food Bank offers a weekly Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) Hunger Digest. The East Texas Food Bank "provides food to over 200 member agencies, consisting of church pantries, emergency relief agencies, shelters, children's homes, day care centers, rehabilitation programs, senior citizens centers and other outreach programs."
Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, California is a "private non-profit organization that collects and distributes more than 27 million pounds of food each year to low-income children, adults and seniors. The Food Bank currently serves an average of 163,500 individuals each month; nearly 60% are families with dependent children." Their web site offers resources on hunger.
The Stanford Project on Hunger also offers an excellent resource page.
Lawrence Hinman is a Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Values Institute at the University of San Diego. He offers a wonderful resource page devoted to the topic of world hunger and ethics.
The web site Kids Can Make A Difference "inspires kids to end hunger and poverty in their communities, their country and their world." This informative web site also offers a fact sheet on hunger issues in the U.S. and around the world.
US Military Families and Hunger:
Last year, USA Today reporter Tom Vanden Brook wrote about the problems faced by hungry military families — namely, the need to visit food pantries to stretch their thin budgets.
In last November’s WITNE, we offered suggestions for helping our US military families, who are sacrificing so much for the war effort.
Hunger Issues Worldwide:
The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) offers a map of undernourished populations around the globe.
Oxfam International has issued a global call to action on poverty. You can learn more here.
The United Methodist Committee On Relief is an example of what a religious organization is doing to combat hunger and poverty issues on a global level. They offer a wealth of information and resources on their web site.
Richard Robbins, Professor at SUNY Plattsburgh, offers a resource page with links to a variety of resources on hunger, poverty and inequality. Professor Robbins has written a book, Global Problems and The Culture of Capitalism.
And finally, The Hunger Site offers a simple way to help those in need–just click on a button.
Cause-oriented marketing is an interesting phenomenon, and there are many examples of companies tied to various issues. Here’s an example:
The Greater Good offers educational tools for kids, schools, and families. What is the Greater Good? It’s a "shopping village belonging to a family of cause-related Web sites dedicated to making it free and easy to support good causes through everyday online activities."
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