THE ISSUE:Hunger in America is worsening, but Congress talks of cutting food assistance.
WHERE WE STAND:During economic hardship, families need more help with basic needs such as food, not less.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Even before the June 29 derecho storm upset life from the Midwest to the Atlantic Coast, something was going on with hunger in America.
The storm knocked out power to grocery stores and gas stations. It blocked roads and caught people by surprise. So, some who had no problem feeding their families on a normal day needed food help during the power outage. Obviously, everyone should stock up on non-perishable food before the next big storm, winter or summer.
But something else is at work here. An increasing number of people, both in West Virginia and across the country, have trouble meeting their food needs under normal circumstances. The problem has been getting worse since the start of the Great Recession, yet Congress is talking about cutting funds for food assistance.
About 14 percent of West Virginia households experienced "food insecurity" at some point during 2010, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service. That means those homes did not have enough food for a healthy and active life at some time. The national average is even worse: 14.5 percent.
The USDA also tracks more severe "very low food security" households where people actually reduce the amount of food they eat or whose normal eating patterns are disrupted because of lack of food. About 5.4 percent of American households experienced "very low food security" in 2010. The good news here is that the share of children suffering this degree of hunger actually decreased between 2009 and 2010.
But overall, the problem of hunger, and the stress of constantly struggling for the next meal, has been rising. Compared to today, in 2007, only 11 percent of American households were insecure. (Eleven percent? That's still more than one in 10 American homes.)
THE ISSUE:Hunger in America is worsening, but Congress talks of cutting food assistance.
WHERE WE STAND:During economic hardship, families need more help with basic needs such as food, not less.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Even before the June 29 derecho storm upset life from the Midwest to the Atlantic Coast, something was going on with hunger in America.
The storm knocked out power to grocery stores and gas stations. It blocked roads and caught people by surprise. So, some who had no problem feeding their families on a normal day needed food help during the power outage. Obviously, everyone should stock up on non-perishable food before the next big storm, winter or summer.
But something else is at work here. An increasing number of people, both in West Virginia and across the country, have trouble meeting their food needs under normal circumstances. The problem has been getting worse since the start of the Great Recession, yet Congress is talking about cutting funds for food assistance.
About 14 percent of West Virginia households experienced "food insecurity" at some point during 2010, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service. That means those homes did not have enough food for a healthy and active life at some time. The national average is even worse: 14.5 percent.
The USDA also tracks more severe "very low food security" households where people actually reduce the amount of food they eat or whose normal eating patterns are disrupted because of lack of food. About 5.4 percent of American households experienced "very low food security" in 2010. The good news here is that the share of children suffering this degree of hunger actually decreased between 2009 and 2010.
But overall, the problem of hunger, and the stress of constantly struggling for the next meal, has been rising. Compared to today, in 2007, only 11 percent of American households were insecure. (Eleven percent? That's still more than one in 10 American homes.)
At the Huntington Area Food Bank, which supplies food to 260 outlets in three states, including 12 West Virginia counties, calls for help have been going up since Jan. 1, said Scott Frasure.
"Those are different people than we've ever seen before, people who have been working most or all of their lives," he said.
His observations match those in other fields. Adults who have always been able to take care of themselves and their families have, in recent years, struggled to meet basic needs and are finding their way to food pantries, clothing closets and welfare offices. Enrollment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps, increased by more than 1.5 million from April 2011 to April 2012. SNAP enrollment grew by more than 29 million since July 2000.
Yet, faced with increased need, the U.S. Senate recently passed a spending bill that would cut SNAP by $4.5 billion over 10 years, reports The Pump Handle, a respected public health blog. Then in July, the House Agriculture Committee proposed cuts of $16 billion. Such a reduction would throw about 3 million people off SNAP and mean 280,000 children would no longer qualify for free meals at school.
For what? To kick people when they are down? To make it more difficult for people to rebound from job losses, housing foreclosures and the recession?
In times of economic distress, families need more help, not less. SNAP was designed exactly for this kind of difficulty. And closer to home, places such as the Huntington Area Food Bank and the Mountaineer Food Bank need year-round help from families who can afford to share.
Economic downturns eventually pass, all the more speedily when people are able to think past the next day to concentrate on steps needed to get back to gainful employment and self-sufficiency.
Get Connected