With the American thanksgiving right around the corner (next Thursday!) I decided to focus on those people who won’t be feasting on a scrumptious turkey and homemade stuffing. Hunger affects millions of Americans every year.

The difference between this week’s and last week’s “I Want to Know” is that it will be completely biased. Hunger is a problem, and I don’t think there are two ways about it. People shouldn’t have to scrounge for their next meal: we’re past the age of being hunters and gatherers.

The statistics are staggering.  Well, to me they are.  According to the FHFH (Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry):

96,000,000,000 pounds of food is thrown away each year by the Food Service Industry.

Nine zeroes? That’s a billion!  Are we really that wasteful?  Now, that’s a problem in itself, but if that much food is being thrown away every year, then maybe something should be done to research exactly how much people eat and why we feel compelled to throw away our food.

Also from the FHFH:

33.6 million people including children live in households that experience hunger or the risk of hunger.

They claim that is equal to approximately 10% of households in America.  Ten percent.  Sure, that doesn’t seem like much, but it’s 33.6 million people who can’t find a decent meal every night.  Not even a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

How can children learn in school if they’re worried about not having enough food in their stomachs that night?  How can anyone function during the workday with a game face if their stomach growls at the sight of food?  We make fun of the college student’s plight (no money, barely any place to live), but it isn’t just college students who have a problem.
If you want to help, which is the point of this post, I’d recommend America’s Second Harvest.

You can donate money through check or credit card.  There are also many different food drives where you can donate a can of non-perishable food.

I’ve also seen in some supermarkets an option to add $1-$20 to your bill to buy a turkey for a homeless family this Thanksgiving.  If anyone has information about that, please e-mail me or leave a note in the comments.

So please take some time this holiday season to donate a can or two to the people who can’t think about Thanksgiving or Christmas because they can’t even find a decent meal.

Posted on November 15th, 2006 by Joy
Filed under: Want to Know