Going Hungry in the Richest Nation on Earth

[unhappycamper]

Going Hungry in the Richest Nation on Earth
by Matthew O. Berger
Published on Thursday, November 25, 2010 by the Inter Press Service

WASHINGTON - While many U.S. residents prepare for their annual Thanksgiving feast Thursday, one in six are at risk of hunger - including a quarter of all children in the country.

Globally, 925 million people, or a little less than 15 percent of the world population, is undernourished. Ironically, Washington's efforts to alleviate hunger abroad may be more successful than at home, analysts say.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's estimate last week that 49 million U.S. residents, including 17 million children, lacked adequate food at some point during 2009 came about a week before the annual post-harvest celebration of Thanksgiving, during which many U.S. kitchens are filled with the bounties expected by residents of such a wealthy country. But not everyone can expect those bounties, it turns out.

The number of "food insecure" households in the U.S. jumped in 2008 due to the economic crisis, but failed to come back down in 2009.

To address this persistent problem, the U.S. government has nutrition assistance programs, and those were generally expanded in the wake of the economic crisis. They seem to have worked over the past couple years.

[saigon68]

1. including 17 million children

USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA
USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA
USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA
USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA
USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA
USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA
USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA
USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA
USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA
USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA

MEXICO HERE WE COME

[mdmc]

2. 1