One in seven Americans depends on food banks to survive ... Food collapse coming

Friday, December 18, 2015 by: Daniel Barker
Tags: hungry Americans, food banks, Hunger in America report

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(NaturalNews) Around 46 million Americans now regularly depend on food banks and soup kitchens to keep themselves and their families from going hungry.

That figure accounts for one-out-of-seven people in the United States, and the need for these facilities is growing – despite the alleged current 'economic recovery' we hear so much about in the media.

And as our nation continues to spend millions per day on military operations in foreign countries, food assistance programs at home are being defunded.

From InvestmentWatchBlog.com:

"From November 1st, $5 billion was wiped off the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as a result of a planned stimulus withdrawal. Almost 50 million Americans who are supported by the program face an average loss of $36 dollars a month, which is a significant amount for those living near the poverty line. Additional cuts are also in the pipeline."

Feeding America

Feeding America is a non-profit organization whose mission is "to feed America's hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks and engage our country in the fight to end hunger." The organization is "the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief organization," and coordinates 200 food banks across the country, which are helping to meet the nutritional needs of 46.5 million people – including 12 million children and 7 million senior citizens.

Every four years, Feeding America publishes the Hunger in America report, the largest such study, which is designed to "help guide the development of programs and solutions that improve food security for individuals and their households and inform public awareness and policy development for addressing hunger in the United States."

The Hunger in America 2014 report contains some rather surprising and sobering statistics that shed light on just how serious the problem has become.

Among the findings regarding Feeding America households:

84% of Feeding America households are regularly 'food insecure'
89% of Feeding America households with children are 'food insecure'
79% of these households report the purchasing of "inexpensive, unhealthy food" to keep from going hungry
1 out of 5 have a household member who has served in the military
1 in 4 have a household member currently serving in the military

At some point, around two-thirds of the households receiving assistance from Feeding America have had to choose between food and medical care. More than two-thirds have had to choose between food and paying the utility bills.

The Great Recession was accompanied by a significant increase in food insecurity that has not diminished since:

"In 2008, coinciding with the start of the recession, national household food insecurity rates climbed to 14.6 percent, reflecting a 31 percent increase over the prior year. USDA food insecurity rates have held steady since 2008. In 2012—the most current national estimates available at the time of the study—the figures remained high, with 14.5 percent of households or 49 million people living in food insecure households."

As I'm writing this, the holiday season is upon us. It's a time of year when Americans traditionally go out of their way to give to the needy, but it's important to remember that there are those in need of assistance throughout the year.

Contributing to a food bank is one of the best ways to directly help those who are struggling to make ends meet. Whether you donate your time, money or just a few cans of food, you'll be directly addressing one of the most basic human needs.

The problem is greater than many of us may have realized until now, and I hope this article serves as a small inspiration, along with providing some important information.

Reaching out to those in need is a fundamental part of the true American spirit. Let's all work together to make sure no family goes hungry during these holidays – or the rest of the year, for that matter. ...

Sources:

InvestmentWatchBlog.com

FeedingAmerica.org/

FeedingAmerica.org