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Feeding The Hungry 365 Days A Year

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Have You Ever Known Hunger?

Not just the growling of your stomach right before lunch... I mean real hunger? Not even fasting, when you knew when your fast was over you could eat whatever you wanted. Real hunger is little or nothing to eat for days, with no certainty of relief.

It's almost inconceivable in the 21st century, with all our technology, our industry, our worldly wealth, that there could even be a hunger problem anywhere in the world. But there is. Hunger is more widely understood to be a third-world problem, but it's not. Hunger is a world-wide problem. Even in the wealthiest nation in the world. Wherever you live, the sad news is that someone not that far away from you is going hungry.

The scary news is that the longer the economic recovery takes and the higher the unemployment rate, more individuals and American families that were once considered "middle to upper-middle income" could be lining up at the food banks. The "newly-poor" (my term for the unemployed masses whose 401K's became 101K's, and who may not be able to continue making the mortgage payments) who lived at the upper limit of their incomes without adequate savings will almost certainly need some kind of assistance. And when that day comes (God help us) will there be food in the cupboards of the food bank pantries waiting to be handed to the helpless?

How we got here is a question for future historians. What can do we do about it? This is the question for each of us today.

“If you can't feed a hundred people, then just feed one.

Mother Teresa”

But For The Grace Of A Stranger

You are the hope of a hungry world.

It's easy for us to be lulled into complacency when our bellies are full, to believe that one person can't possibly make a difference. But we must know that one person can and does make a difference. If each of us makes even the tiniest little effort anyway and anywhere we can, the exponential power of the one (at a time), will change the world.

The Power of One

Hunger Statistics - Domestic

Hunger persists in the U.S.

There have always been hungry people in the world, but there have not always been viable ways and accessible means to feed them. Even now there are many forces that work to prevent available food from reaching the ones that need it most. Whether it be terrain, distance, war, world politics, or ignorance, any of those would be better than casual indifference.

Information from Bread for the World (www.bread.org)

35.5 million people-including 12.6 million children-live in households that experience hunger or the risk of hunger. This represents more than one in ten households in the United States (10.9 percent).
4.0 percent of U.S. households experience hunger. Some people in these households frequently skip meals or eat too little, sometimes going without food for a whole day. 11.1 million people, including 430 thousand children, live in these homes.
6.9 percent of U.S. households are at risk of hunger. Members of these households have lower quality diets or must resort to seeking emergency food because they cannot always afford the food they need. 24.4 million people, including 12.2 million children, live in these homes.
Research shows that preschool and school-aged children who experience severe hunger have higher levels of chronic illness, anxiety and depression, and behavior problems than children with no hunger.

http://www.bread.org/learn/hunger-basics/hunger-facts-domestic.html

Homeless Family Living In A Car

Facts and Figures on Population

Population Growth through Year 2000

Graphics from Blogiseverything.com

World population exploded in the last 200 years. Much of it due to the gains in agriculture products and methods. Estimates say by the year 2030, total world population will be nearing 9 billion! Will those of us who have, share with those who don't?

Bulleted information from Bread for the World (www.bread.org)

Today our world is home to 6.7 billion people.
The United States is a part of the high-income group of nations, which consists of about 65 countries with a combined population of about 1 billion, less than one sixth of the world's population.
In contrast, approximately 5.6 billion people live in low and lower-middle income economies. This world, earning under $3,705 GNI per capita, is made up of about 103 low and middle income countries in which people generally have a lower standard of living with access to fewer goods and services than people in high-income countries.

Food Pantry Donations Are Down

Food Pantries Strain to Serve Rising Requests

Churches and charities are straining to serve rising requests for food from their pantries and soup kitchens, especially from working people.

Much of this information is from 2006. Before the stock and real-estate market melt down in late 2008. In 2009, we're still waiting to see the full effects of the recession on the former middle-class, now unemployed. The question is, if you (God forbid) needed to turn to your local food bank for assistance right now, would they have the food to give you? What about next week, or next month?

Information from Bread for the World (www.Bread.org)

The U.S. Conference of Mayors reports that in 2006 requests for emergency food assistance increased an average of 7 percent. The study also found that 48 percent of those requesting emergency food assistance were members of families with children and that 37 percent of adults requesting such assistance were employed. Unemployment, high housing costs, poverty or lack of income, and high medical costs led the list of reasons contributing to the rise.
Almost half the cities surveyed in the Mayors' report (45 percent) said they are not able to provide an adequate quantity of food to those in need. And 63 percent of surveyed cities reported they had to decrease the quantity of food provided and/or the number of times people can come to get food assistance. An average of 23 percent of the demand for emergency food assistance is estimated to have gone unmet in the survey cities, up from 18 percent last year.
America's Second Harvest, the nation's largest network of food banks, reports an estimated 24 to 27 million people turned to the agencies they serve, as accounted for in their 2006 findings.

Oklahoma Food Bank helps others but needs help too

Interview with Rodney Bivens, Exec.Director of Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma

This is one of my favorite local food charity organizations. They not only provide food for the needful in the city in which they operate, they also distribute their donations to other feeding organizations within the state. Now more than ever they need donations to keep their pantries stocked.

Food Stamp Program Usage Up 16% from 2001 to 2006

People facing hunger are increasingly turning to the Food Stamp Program for assistance in feeding their families.

This information is almost 4 years old! Those were the "good old days" before the stock market "crash" of 2007, and the full-force recession of 2008/2009. Interesting to note is that about 67% of the families using government assistance programs like food stamps are actually working poor. They have jobs, but they don't pay enough to feed the family.

Bulleted Information from Bread for the World (www.bread.org)

In 2006, the most recent year for which data is available, approximately 38 million people were eligible to participate in the Food Stamp Program. About 65 percent of these actually participated, a rate that has increased by 16 percent since 2001.3
In 2007, an average of 26.5 million people used food stamps each month.6
Declining poverty and unemployment since 2004 have likely contributed to more economic opportunities for many low-income Americans. The increases in food stamp participation since 2005 may well be the result of successful outreach efforts that have encouraged a greater number of eligible individuals to participate in the program.

Hunger Facts: International

World Hunger and Poverty: How They Fit Together

1/6th, or 16% of the people in the world are hungry. They live in extreme poverty, and many have known nothing else their entire lives. If they were given our garbage, they would consider themselves rich!

Bulleted information from Bread for the World (www.bread.org)

963 million people across the world are hungry.
Every day, almost 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes--one child every five seconds.
In essence, hunger is the most extreme form of poverty, where individuals or families cannot afford to meet their most basic need for food.
Hunger manifests itself in many ways other than starvation and famine. Most poor people who battle hunger deal with chronic undernourishment and vitamin or mineral deficiencies, which result in stunted growth, weakness and heightened susceptibility to illness.
Countries in which a large portion of the population battles hunger daily are usually poor and often lack the social safety nets we enjoy, such as soup kitchens, food stamps, and job training programs. When a family that lives in a poor country cannot grow enough food or earn enough money to buy food, there is nowhere to turn for help.

Hungry Hands

Whose Responsibility Is It To Feed The Hungry?

Weigh in on the subject...

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Important!

1 John 3:17-18

If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

CARE Action Network

Overcoming Poverty, Climate Related Catastrophes, and Infant Mortality

Learn the strategy behind CARE's new, exciting advocacy agenda, "From Aid to Impact," advocacy agenda for the 111th Congess. We invite you to find out more by clicking on our agenda overview and three policy focus areas.

So What Can I Do About It?

I'm so glad you asked!

The simple fact that you are here reading this demonstrates that you are a compassionate individual, and that this issue is one of importance to you.

If you are fortunate enough to still have decent employment or a viable business that is generating income, please consider making donations in whatever amount you can. Most of us will not miss $10-$25.00 per month. We spend so much more than that on lunches and dinners out. Could you maybe bring your lunch to work once a week instead of eating out every day and put that money aside for a donation to your local food bank?

Perhaps you could help organize a company wide program (enlist the help of your HR director) and pick one day of each week (or month) to eat in and put the savings into a pot to be donated to your local food bank on behalf of the employees of the organization. Your company may even be willing to match the amount saved and donated by the employees. This could be a great opportunity to network with other like-minded individuals that you might not have had the opportunity to meet otherwise. The company could also get some good press by announcing the initiative to the media. Most importantly, you will be helping to ensure that those who need it the most will have food to eat.

Whether you take personal responsibility and action by donating your money or your time, as long as you are taking action, you are making a difference!

A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.

Proverbs 22:9

Heart in Hands

10 ways we can all help to make a difference:

Did you know that the top 7 wealthiest people in the United States today have enough money to feed all the hungry people in the world? While it's not one person's responsibility alone, if we each did what we could, imagine the difference it would make!

Please share your own ideas of how we can each, or together, make a difference here.

Feeding The Hungry 365 Days A Year

Have You Ever Known Hunger?

“If you can't feed a hundred people, then just feed one. Mother Teresa”

But For The Grace Of A Stranger

You are the hope of a hungry world.

The Power of One

Hunger Statistics - Domestic

Hunger persists in the U.S.

Facts and Figures on Population

Population Growth through Year 2000

Food Pantries Strain to Serve Rising Requests

Churches and charities are straining to serve rising requests for food from their pantries and soup kitchens, especially from working people.

Oklahoma Food Bank helps others but needs help too

Interview with Rodney Bivens, Exec.Director of Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma

Food Stamp Program Usage Up 16% from 2001 to 2006

People facing hunger are increasingly turning to the Food Stamp Program for assistance in feeding their families.

Hunger Facts: International

World Hunger and Poverty: How They Fit Together

Hungry Hands

Whose Responsibility Is It To Feed The Hungry?

Weigh in on the subject...

Thanks for voting! Now invite your friends to vote.

1 John 3:17-18

CARE Action Network

Overcoming Poverty, Climate Related Catastrophes, and Infant Mortality

So What Can I Do About It?

I'm so glad you asked!

Heart in Hands

10 ways we can all help to make a difference:

1

Donate extra non-perishable goods to your food bank.

2

Donate extra goods

3

Continue or start making regular donations to a feeding program in your area.

4

Organize a food drive or donation drive in your company or business.

5

Organize a food drive or donation drive in your local church, social or professional organization.

6

Champion a favorite charity on your blog.

7

Volunteer your time if have more of it than money.

8

Make a Squidoo lens for your favorite charities.

9

Become active in your community and local politics on the issue of hunger.

10

Support businesses and companies that donate a percentage of the sales price or profit to charity.

11

Share your favorite charity websites on your favorite social media venue: Twitter, My Space, Facebook, etc.

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As a Society, We Either Win Together, Or We All Lose.

Share Victory, Share Defeat

Learn More About The Cause and Contribute to Action Against Hunger

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Special Amazon Items That Donate to Feeding Charities

Get Your Kindle Here and Help Support Action Against Hunger

You can get totally tech and support a worthwhile cause at the same time!

Top Rated Hunger Relief Organizations

From the American Institute of Philanthropy

Oklahoma Regional Food Bank

Feeding the hungry 365!

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FreeRice.com

These People, Organizations and Businesses Have Joined the Effort

Amazing creativity and generosity of spirit!

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“If you can't feed a hundred people, then just feed one.

Mother Teresa”