More food is being given out to hungry people. Still, 15 percent of U.S. households do not have regular and reliable access to nutritious food, and more people are requesting help than ever before. Advocates argue that America can – and should – end hunger now. Religious groups and people are at the forefront of increasing aid and pushing for policy reforms aimed at ending hunger in America. Indeed, the land of plenty has plenty of people experiencing hunger, as reports show.
Background
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2011 annual report on the incidence of hunger, released September 2012, revealed that while the overall incidence of food insecurity was stable, an increasing number of families are being labeled as “very low food security.” Families with very low food security often did not have food available at times and eating patterns were disrupted by this lack.
More than one in seven American households was described in the report as “food insecure.” This term means a household does not have regular and reliable access to nutritious food.
The 17.9 million households categorized as food insecure in 2011 represents an increase from 13 million households in 2007.
The reasons are not hard to find, experts say. The economy is tottering toward what’s been described as a jobless recovery, unemployment is high and the poverty rate is up to 15 percent. Advocates argue that America can and should end hunger, and religious groups and people of faith are at the forefront of the effort.
At the same time, some hunger advocates are promoting fresh ways of thinking about the problem – and even suggesting that traditional approaches may be more Band-Aid than blessing.
Former food bank director Mark Winne, for example, argued provocatively in his 2008 book, Closing the Food Gap: Resetting the Table in the Land of Plenty, that food banks are futile charitable efforts and that resources would be better directed toward public policy changes. Other advocates want to refocus ideas about food supply: eating more nutritious and local food, to decrease dependence on remote sources and increase responsibility for providing one’s own food. Religious groups are among those putting more emphasis on advocacy, systemic reform, ending poverty and rethinking what it means to put food on the table.
Why it matters
Caring for the poor and hungry is a central tenet of religious traditions, and religious groups operate the majority of soup kitchens and food banks across the country. The persistence of hunger — despite agricultural productivity and a highly developed food distribution system — also raises a basic question about American institutions and citizens’ political will: Why are people still without adequate food?
Angles for reporters
This is pre-eminently a local story as well as a familiar story; new numbers change the picture and provide nuance. Every state has a network of agencies and organizations that deal with hunger. What is the picture in your state? How is the economy coming back, or isn’t it? How adequate is the support for those who have fallen on hard times? What about low-wage workers? What do officials say? What do those on the front lines – standing in food lines or handing out groceries or meals – say?
Some anti-hunger organizations are working on the larger context of food supplies for communities. They are promoting community gardens, sustainable agriculture, relationships between farmers and communities, and economic justice for food producers. They say sustainability of food production and consumption is fundamental to community food security. What kind of links, if any, are there between your local groups concerned about the Earth and creation care and those working on poverty and hunger?
Anti-poverty and anti-hunger activism is often attractive to young people. Bread for the World’s blog, for example, has a number of young contributors. High schools and colleges organize and participate in events that raise awareness and/or funding. What is happening at your local schools and campuses?
In addition to the familiar Christian-based food services, other religious groups operate relief centers and engage in other anti-hunger initiatives. Many Buddhist centers, for example, prepare or distribute food to homeless people as a compassionate service. If you have local Buddhist groups, ask them about their community service and how they understand the practice. Charity is one of the five pillars of Islam, and Eid al-Adha, the Muslim feast of sacrifice, is celebrated by giving away meat or some equivalent donation. The Muslims Against Hunger Project works to involve Muslims in efforts to combat hunger and homelessness. What kinds of projects are local Muslims involved in?
Does the holiday of Thanksgiving – America’s biggest meal – provide an occasion for people to think about community food supply and sufficiency, or to do things differently?
News articles and research
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“Obama’s pledge to end childhood hunger by 2015 is struggling”
Read a Feb. 13, 2013, Philadelphia Inquirer story about President Obama’s pledge to end childhood hunger by 2015 and his progress.
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“U.S. Child Hunger Rates By County: 2013 Report Reveals Most Food-Insecure Places For Children “
Read a June 18, 2013, story by The Huffington Post about the U.S. counties with the highest rates of child food insecurity.
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“REPORT: Child Hunger Is Concentrated In Rural America”
Read a June 10, 2013, story by ThinkProgress about the high concentration of child hunger in rural America.
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“Household Food Security in the United States in 2011”
Read a U.S. Department of Agriculture report, which found that 14.9 percent of the nation’s households did not have enough food for at least some time in 2011.
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“Map the Meal Gap”
Feeding America published different maps breaking down food insecurity rates by state and county throughout the U.S. using 2009-2011 data.
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“Spotlight on Food Insecurity among Senior Americans: 2011”
Feeding America and National Foundation to End Senior Hunger published a report in 2011 and reveals that the number of food insecure seniors above the age of 60 has more than doubled to 4.8 million from 2001 to 2011.
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The Hunger Almanac
The Hunger Almanac is published by Feeding America, the country’s largest charitable hunger-relief organization, distributes food to food banks. It lists key facts and updates about the state of hunger in America.
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“The Economic Cost of Domestic Hunger”
The Sodexo Foundation released a report in June 2007 that found that the U.S. pays $90 billion a year – or $800 per household – directly or indirectly for the effects of hunger (hunger-related charities, illness and psychosocial dysfunction and the impact of less education/lower productivity).
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“As Jobs Vanish and Prices Rise, Food Stamp Use Nears Record”
The number of people receiving food stamps was expected to hit record levels in 2008, according to projections from the Congressional Budget Office, according to a March 31, 2008, New York Times story.
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“Study: Half of U.S. kids will receive food stamps”
Read a Nov. 2, 2009, USA Today article about a study showing that half of all American children will live in a household that gets food stamps at some point in their childhood.
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“New Alliance for Food Security & Nutrition”
Read a June 27, 2013, page about President Barack Obama’s plan to fight hunger in sub-Saharan Africa.
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“So Much Food. So Much Hunger.”
Read a Sept. 19, 2009, New York Times story, “So Much Food. So Much Hunger,” about the persistence of hunger in the world — affecting a billion people, the United Nations estimates — even though the world produces enough food to feed everyone.
National sources
Ethics institutes
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W. Maurice Young Centre for Applied Ethics
The W. Maurice Young Centre for Applied Ethics is located at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C. It focuses on the research on and teaching of applied ethics in fields such as science and technology, health, research, and animal welfare.
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Emory Center for Ethics
Center for Ethics at Emory University in Atlanta focuses on the study of ethics in decision-making. The Center focuses on four pillars: health, science, and ethics; citizenship and the public good; organizational and corporate ethics; and ethics and the arts. Paul Root Wolpe is director.
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Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics
The Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University studies and researches ethics in professional and private life. Eric Beerbohm is director.
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Consortium Ethics Program
The Consortium Ethics Program at the University of Pittsburgh is a regional health care ethics network. It educates health care professional and institutions in clinical health care ethics. Rosa Lynn Pinkus is director.
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Ethics Resource Center
The Ethics Resource Center is a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization whose vision is a world where individuals and organizations act with integrity. Its focus is organizational ethics. It is based in Arlington, Va. Contact through the website.
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Dartmouth College Ethics Institute
The Dartmouth College Ethics Institute at Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH focuses on applied and professional ethics, ranging from medical and business ethics to teaching and research ethics. Aine Donovan is director.
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Markkula Center for Applied Ethics
The Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, Calif., is dedicated to researching modern ethical issues and attempting to create solutions in diverse fields such as bioethics, the Internet, government and character ethics.
Secular organizations
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The Alliance to End Hunger
The Alliance to End Hunger is a coalition of groups across cultures and faiths that fosters partnerships to end hunger in the world. It was begun by David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World. Nathan Magrath is the manager of communications and outreach.
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Community Food Security Coalition
Community Food Security Coalition does advocacy, education and training on issues of food production and distribution to build sustainable and local food supplies. It includes member groups from the U.S. and Canada. Miriam Barnard is executive director of the Portland, Ore., group.
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Congressional Hunger Center
The bipartisan Congressional Hunger Center, which grew out of the U.S. House Select Committee on Hunger, trains anti-hunger advocates. A number of members of Congress are on its board; Zack Bly is the communications specialist.
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Food Research and Action Center
Food Research and Action Center is a Washington, D.C., advocacy group working on public policy and public-private partnerships on food and hunger issues. The organization maintains statistics about poverty and food insecurity.
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The National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness
The National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness educates and trains students to work on hunger and homelessness issues. It’s based in Chicago.
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RESULTS
RESULTS is a nonprofit grassroots advocacy organization in Washington, D.C., that works to create the political will to end hunger. Joanne Carter is executive director.
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Share Our Strength
Share Our Strength, an anti-hunger organization based in Washington, D.C., focuses on ending childhood hunger in America.
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The U.S. Conference of Mayors
The U.S. Conference of Mayors, the organization of American cities with populations of 30,000 or greater, has been surveying hunger and homelessness in urban areas for more than two decades.
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WhyHunger
WhyHunger is a New York-based organization that focuses on hunger and poverty nationally and internationally. Contact through Debbie Grunbaum.
Religious organizations
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Bread for the World
Bread for the World is the largest faith-based advocacy movement against hunger, a collective of Christian groups. It posts hunger facts and figures. It is based in Washington, D.C.
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The ELCA World Hunger program
The ELCA World Hunger program helps alleviate hunger through advocacy, education, relief and sustainable development.
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Foods Resource Bank
Foods Resource Bank is made up of 15 Christian denominations and agencies that work at the grass roots with farmers and communities to develop local food security. Modeled after a Canadian program, it has both overseas and U.S. projects. Contact Marv Baldwin, president and CEO of the group, which has offices in Illinois and Michigan.
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MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger
MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger is a national nonprofit agency working against hunger in the United States and abroad. Its president and CEO, Abby J. Leibman, says the 2012 farm bill should protect and increase food stamp funding, provide incentives for farmers to make produce more affordable at local markets and make nutritional improvements to the government’s surplus food program. Read her Oct. 6, 2011, column on the subject at Jweekly.com.
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Muslims Against Hunger Project
The Muslims Against Hunger Project works to involve Muslims in efforts to combat hunger and homelessness.
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Presbyterian Hunger Program
Presbyterian Hunger Program is a ministry responding to hunger and poverty domestically and abroad. Rebecca Barnes is the coordinator.
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The Souper Bowl of Caring
The Souper Bowl of Caring mobilizes young people to do something about hunger and poverty. Born of church youth groups in Columbia, S.C., in 1990 and pegged to Super Bowl weekend, by 2009 the event generated more than $10 million for anti-hunger and poverty groups. Find local participating groups.
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The Society of St. Andrew
The Society of St. Andrew in Big Island, Va., was founded in 1979 and began salvaging potatoes and other produce in 1983. It operates a Gleaning Network and Potato & Produce Project that salvage unpicked usable produce. It has regional offices in six Southern states and gleaning operations in 14 states. Mike Hickcox is the communications director.
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Bread for the World
Bread for the World is the largest faith-based advocacy movement against hunger, a collective of Christian groups. It posts hunger facts and figures. It is based in Washington, D.C.
President David Beckmann, a clergyman and economist, is one of the leading spokesmen in the faith community on hunger issues. He testified before Congress on Oct. 29, 2009, in support of the U.S. Global Hunger and Food Security Initiative, an Obama administration effort to improve access to food and support agricultural development by vulnerable populations.
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Catholic Charities USA
Catholic Charities USA works in various areas such as adoption counseling, disaster relief, poverty awareness and raising awareness of social issues such as human trafficking and racial inequality. It works to provide aid to people in need and to activate the Catholic population to action.
Part of its mission focuses on hunger as part of its work to reduce poverty. It surveys local affiliates quarterly to pinpoint trends; 75 percent reported increases in requests for food assistance in the second quarter of 2009.
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Islamic Relief Worldwide
Islamic Relief Worldwide based in Birmingham, U.K., provided aid to Darfur. Its U.S. branch is based in Buena Vista, Calif.
The humanitarian organization Islamic Relief USA has a number of assistance campaigns, including one dealing with global food insecurity.
Individuals
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Max Finberg
Max Finberg is former director of the Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He formerly headed the Alliance to End Hunger.
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Roshie Bernie Glassman
Roshie Bernie Glassman heads the Massachusetts-based Zen Peacemakers. Contact through assistant Rami.
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L. Shannon Jung
The Rev. L. Shannon Jung is professor of town and country ministries at St. Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, Mo. He has written about rural ministry. His books include Hunger & Happiness: Feeding the Hungry, Nourishing Our Souls and Food for Life: The Spirituality and Ethics of Eating.
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Mohamed Magid
Imam Mohamed Magid is imam and executive director of the All Dulles Area Muslim Society in the Washington, D.C., area.
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Mark Winne
Mark Winne is a former director of the Hartford Food System. In 2001 he won the U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary’s Plow Honor Award. He is the author of the 2008 book Closing the Food Gap: Resetting the Table in the Land of Plenty and is working on a new book to be published in 2010. Contact [email protected].
Regional sources
In the Northeast
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Stephanie Kaza
Stephanie Kaza is a professor of environmental studies at the University of Vermont in Burlington, where she teaches courses on religion and ecology, eco-feminism and “unlearning consumerism.” She is a practicing Soto Zen Buddhist and is co-editor of Dharma Rain: Sources of Buddhist Environmentalism.
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Patrick Webb
Patrick Webb wrote the 2008 paper “More Food, But Not Yet Enough.” He is an expert in global food security and development policy and a professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University.
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Joel Berg
Joel Berg is author of All You Can Eat: How Hungry is America? and is executive director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger. His anti-hunger work includes experience with faith-based groups.
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Gary W. Fick
Gary W. Fick is professor of agronomy at Cornell University and author of Food, Farming and Faith. .
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Mark E. Graham
Mark E. Graham is an associate professor of moral theology at Villanova University, Villanova, Pa., and the author of Sustainable Agriculture: A Christian Ethic of Gratitude. He has taught courses on Christian environmental ethics.
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John Mellor
John Mellor is an agricultural economist and world hunger expert based in Washington, D.C. He received the Presidential Award from Ronald Reagan for his work to reduce hunger in the world.
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The New Entry Sustainable Farming Project
The New Entry Sustainable Farming Project at Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy assists people with limited resources to begin farming in Massachusetts. Its larger goal is to promote economic self-reliance and food security. Contact project director Jennifer Hashley.
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The Baltimore Food & Faith Project
The Baltimore Food & Faith Project is concerned with food issues. It was begun in 2007 by the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future. Darriel Harris is the project officer.
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Preble Street
Preble Street, a shelter and service provider in Portland, Maine, has developed a Maine Hunger Initiative.
In the South
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James P. Ziliak
James P. Ziliak is director of the Center for Poverty Research at the University of Kentucky, where he also holds the Gatton Endowed Chair in Microeconomics. He was the lead researcher on a 2008 national study of hunger among the nation’s senior citizens.
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Norman Wirzba
Norman Wirzba is professor of theology and ecology at Duke Divinity School in Durham, N.C. His research focuses on “understanding and promoting practices that can equip both rural and urban church communities to be more faithful and responsible members of creation,” specifically through eating as a spiritual discipline, theological reflection as informed by place and agrarianism as a viable and comprehensive cultural force. Wirzba’s books include (as co-author) Making Peace With the Land: God’s Call to Reconcile With Creation.
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Come to the Table
Come to the Table is a project of the Rural Life Committee of the North Carolina Council of Churches that links food, faith and farms. Scott Marlow is executive director.
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The Mississippi Food Network
The Mississippi Food Network in Jackson serves more than 320 churches and other agencies that provide food.
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The Houston Food Bank
The Houston Food Bank is dedicated to feeding those without sufficient food in the Houston area. The media relations contact is Adele Brady.
In the Midwest
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Craig Gundersen
Craig Gundersen is associate professor in the department of agricultural and consumer economics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His research, much of it national, focuses on food insecurity issues.
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Jack R. Kloppenburg Jr.
Jack R. Kloppenburg Jr. is a professor in the department of community and environmental sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He teaches a course called Food, Culture and Society, which explores hunger issues.
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The Rime Buddhist Center
The Rime Buddhist Center in Kansas City, Mo., teaches Buddhist tradition and Tibetan culture and to increase cultural understanding between the East and the Western world. Gabi Otto is the executive director. Email through the website.
The center also runs a program dedicated to feeding the homeless.
In the West
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Donald E. Messer
Donald E. Messer is a co-author of Ending Hunger Now. A United Methodist theologian, he is now executive director of the Center for Church and Global AIDS, which is based in Centennial, Colo.
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Tamera Zivic
Tamera Zivic is executive director of the World Hunger Education, Advocacy & Training (WHEAT) Organization in Phoenix, which works with 5,300 congregations in Arizona. She is a member of the national board of Bread for the World.
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Michael Schut
Michael Schut is the Seattle-based author of Food & Faith: Justice, Joy and Daily Bread. He is the associate program officer for economic and environmental affairs in the Seattle regional office of the Advocacy Center of the Episcopal Church.
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Community Food Security Coalition
Community Food Security Coalition does advocacy, education and training on issues of food production and distribution to build sustainable and local food supplies. It includes member groups from the U.S. and Canada. Miriam Barnard is executive director of the Portland, Ore., group.
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Earth Ministry
Earth Ministry includes congregational activists in the Puget Sound, Wash., area, but its programs and resources are in use throughout the United States and Canada. It is interested in creation care and eco-justice, including food issues. Though based in Christianity, Earth Ministry’s programs and membership are open to people of all faiths. LeeAnne Beres is the executive director.
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Food Lifeline
Food Lifeline in Seattle is Washington state’s largest hunger relief agency. It has statistics on the people it serves. Mark Coleman is communications director.
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Oregon Hunger Relief Task Force
Created by the state Legislature in 1989, the Oregon Hunger Relief Task Force promotes awareness, compiles research and works on public policy change. One in six Oregonians – a record number – received SNAP (food stamp) benefits in June 2009. Oregon Faith Roundtable Against Hunger is a partner organization. Contact Simone Crowe, communications director.