Hunger as a serious problem for America's poor

¶ … Hunger a Serious Problem for America's Poor

There is a general idea about hunger, which is most of the times associated with the least developed countries in the world. Few people, however, actually see hunger as being a problem in the U.S. Nonetheless, the realities of the day point to the conclusion that indeed, hunger represents a major issue for the American society.

As hunger continues to impose serious stress on the society and its structure, it is important for the issue to be known by the authorities responsible for taking action against the spread of the phenomenon. They make up the most important audience because they represent the engine of the legislative and executive powers, the only ones capable of implementing state policies at a federal level. Not taking action to address this issue is fatal for the ones in discussion because they are thus left without any resource for help. At the same time however, the authorities must be made aware of the stringent problem because, otherwise, it could focus its efforts on different other policies.

In addition, nongovernmental organizations can also play a role in elaborating food aid programs that would ensure the help of those in need. They are essential segments in any democratic society and they represent the link between the state authorities and the civil society, a characteristic that makes them indispensable for the success of any campaign.

Finally, the public opinion as a whole must be made aware of the existence of this issue in America. It is only through the help of those with financial means to help the hunger, can the society recover. The issue has been hidden from the eyes of the world for decades, a practice that could prove to be dangerous on the long run. This could direct the attention to other stringent issues of the American society and leave the almost 26 million people suffering from hunger with no official help. This would ultimately lead to the worsening of their situation and not its resolution.

The means through which each part of this audience can act in dealing with hunger as a social phenomenon are various. The authorities are obligated by the democratic nature of its existence, to represent the best interest of the people and watch over their well-being. Thus, it must pass laws that would ensure the resolution not so much of hunger in itself, but rather their underlying cause. Thus, it should include a program aiming at job creation, a reduction in medical care fees, lower household utility costs.

The nongovernmental sector can improve its activities through a better coordination of food aid programs and an increase in campaigns of awareness.

Finally, the society can do its share by supporting the initiatives of both the public administration and the NGOs, and through individual contributions to shelters and social pantries.

The actions involve the concurrence of all the actors involved. On the one hand, the authorities should strengthen the social security system and create new job opportunities for the ones that cannot afford to improve their alimentation habits. On the other hand, the NGOs and the private sector should get more involved in coordinating the efforts made by various organizations and help groups in this area of activity. Finally, it is up to each of us to help our neighbors and to be sensitive to other people's need.

Hunger represents one of the biggest and most important issues facing our society today. There are many opinions that fail to consider it as an impediment in democratic, well off societies, and even less in the American one; thus, "as America is the wealthiest and most abundant nation in the world, it is no surprise that many Americans think of hunger and poverty occurring only in developing countries. While most Americans have encountered someone suffering from hunger and poverty in the United States, few of us may have actually realized it." (Hunger and poverty in the United States 2007)

Still, according to most statistics, the phenomenon is constantly present in the profile of the American society. Thus, according to a 2006 Report commissioned by America's Second Harvest Network, "more than 25 million people, or about 9% of all Americans, receive food assistance on an emergency basis (...) this number include (ing) nearly 9 million children and 3 million seniors." Moreover, it is quite obvious that the trend is an ascending one, seeing that "the overall number of those seeking help at food banks and soup lines has swelled by 8% since 2001 and 18% since 1997." (Policy & Practice of Public Human Services 2006) Therefore, it can be said that there is relatively little public awareness of the phenomenon that develops at an alarming growing pace.

Yet, in contrast to most other cases of hunger, it seems that in the United States, it is not a matter of malnutrition in terms of quantity and quality, such as the cases in least developed countries from Africa or Latin America. Most analysts suggest that in fact it is the negative result of a failed social security state system and its inability to deal with the real magnitude of the situation. This lack of reaction manifests itself from the very beginning, starting from identifying the root causes, to the acknowledgement of the problem as one of the most important facing the society, to the actual measures needed to be taken in order to reduce its impact on the population.

There is a large disagreement even in terms of defining the actual concept. There are certain views that consider the notion as representing the image of a "household that had to struggle to keep food on the table."(Gibbs 2006) This is still a rather subjective description of the phenomenon that tends to appeal to a certain segment of the audience, the one inclined to be impressed by personal stories of unfortunate families needing to sacrifice their dignity in order to ensure their children a portion of food.

The official aspect of the definition of the term involves a visible change of words and tone describing the phenomenon. Therefore, according to "experts at the National Academies of Science (...) 'hunger' should be reserved for cases when persistent food insecurity results in "prolonged, involuntary lack of food," and the result is "discomfort, illness, weakness or pain that goes beyond the usual uneasy sensation." (Gibbs 2006) Thus, there are various points-of-view on the matter, on the one hand a subjective definition, while on the other, an impassive suggestion. This comes to prove the fact that there are different perceptions over a definition and it is the perspective of the respective institution that clearly determines the tone and the magnitude of the phenomenon.

Hunger is in fact socially related because it affects the core elements of the structure of the society. This is why it is difficult to assess the real nature of the causes that determine it. Basically speaking, it is rather different from what poor countries are experiencing in terms of food shortages. In opposition with these cases, in America, hunger tends to manifest in a shortage of financial resources available for the procurement of food. Thus, statistics point out that "30% of those seeking assistance are experiencing hunger because they have no way of obtaining food." (Policy & Practice of Public Human Services 2006) This however, rarely occurs when social security systems manage to offer sufficient funds to under privilege people.

Another cause of the constant manifestation of the hunger issue in America is represented by the intrinsic obligation of families with low incomes to make choices between providing sufficient food and paying for house utilities and living costs. Therefore, it is a matter of the allocation of personal finances. From this perspective, it can be said that the reason that pushes the poor population to decide to limit their alimentation lies in the need to adjust to the high costs of life. Thus, Trudy Lieberman argues in one article about a woman forced to face up to hunger that "With the need to pay for gasoline, car insurance, trailer rent, clothes, medicine and utilities, and to make payments on a car loan and $10,000 in medical bills" poor people rarely have the resources to cater for a well balanced meal. Moreover, reports show that "the individuals who seek emergency food are constantly making choices between buying food or paying for utilities or heat (41%), buying food or paying their rent and mortgage (35%), or buying food or paying medical bills (32%)." (Policy & Practice of Public Human Services 2006) Consequently, one either ignores the pressures of the state in terms of taxes and levies, or reduces the amount of food. Lieberman's subject chose the latter, but with deep dismay for the government that, in her view, "doesn't want to admit there's poverty," concluding with an idea that is generally accepted by most poor people "We can feed the world but not our own." (Lieberman 17)

Trudy Lieberman raised a rather serious issue concerning the perception and the reality surrounding hunger in the U.S. On the one hand, this has been a continuous process. "it is currently estimated that 31 million people live in food insecure households, meaning that at some time during the previous year, they were unable to acquire of were uncertain of having enough food to meet basic needs due to inadequate household resources." (Siefert et al.171) There are additional figures that indicate "poverty on the rise -- the United States experienced the biggest jump in poverty in a decade in 2001, to nearly 12% of the population" (Lieberman 17) Considering these two aspects, food insecurity is strictly related to poverty as a general trend, which in turn is a result of a mismanagement of federal authority.

Hunger tends to affect all the segments of the population. In this way, it weakens the systemic organization of the society. Because the family is considered to be the nucleus in every society, it is only natural that children and the elderly, that is those that are unable to provide for themselves, are the categories most vulnerable to food related shortages. It is important to consider the negative psychological effect this type of experience has on young adults when they see their parents incapable of supporting a family despite the fact that "about one third of the adults between the ages of 18 and 65 needing emergency food aid are employed. Thirty six percent of all families seeking assistance reported that at least one family member was working." (Policy & Practice of Public Human Services 2006) Therefore, from this perspective, it is clear to see that although employment offers a certain financial guarantee, a low income does not insure all the necessities of life.

The American society has a long tradition of discriminatory behavior. Therefore, the current situation offers a new sign of involuntary discrimination. Due to the different circumstances that have shapes the society throughout time, hunger also tends to manifest in some segments of the society more than in others. Thus, "food security varies considerably by race / ethnicity; while only 7% of non-Hispanic white households in t he U.S. reported food insecurity in 1999, 20.8% of Hispanic households and 32.3 [percent of non-Hispanics black households were food unsecure. Thus, we can say that due to economic and commercial circumstances the American society is yet again viewed as a bastion of discrimination, this in turn most often give an interesting image of the society.

Hunger should express indeed a serious concern for the entire community, whether talks are held at the level of authorities or that of the mere citizens. This is an imperative issue because it tends to be increasingly present in our everyday lives. Whether people agree to it or not, the society developed a system that enabled it to adapt. The most obvious proof are the shelters, soup kitchens and emergency food aid units that represent a system "now entrenched in nearly every city and town." Lieberman underlines in this sense that the actual spread of such aid facilities "represents a fundamental failure of government to adequately feed its citizens" therefore a policy failure. (Lieberman 19)

There are solutions that could represent a proper answer to the key issued raised by this flagellum. They should focus however on exactly the targeted decision making authorities and their possible role in tackling the problem. Thus, what action would be undergone, it should be taken by the state authorities, the civic society, and finally the public opinion.

Generally speaking, hunger was considered to be most of the times the result of a crisis of production. Therefore, the solution applied by the government represented an adjustment in the production scheme. (Egendorf 161) in the current case however, a different set of measures must be taken in order to ensure the necessary funds rather than an increased quantity of goods.

There are measures taken at the level of the federal government; these must address the core issues of the problem, which is the lack of money. On the one hand, it must increase welfare and food stamps benefits and modify the eligibility requirements. The Food and Nutrition Service is a well-established framework for the authorities to work and help those in need. Its record shows that "it provides Federal leadership in America's ongoing struggle against hunger and poor nutrition. (...) the mission is to increase food security, reduce hunger and improve health outcomes in partnership with cooperating organizations by providing children and low income people access to nutritious food and education that inspires public confidence and support." (Egendorf 164) However, this requires an important interventionist policy and there are those that would argue such a measure would backfire. Some argue that a stronger social support would create the impression of a truly assisted state, which comes in contradiction with free competition and the principles of the market economy. Others suggest that lowering the bar for assessment of eligibility can also lead to an abuse of such funds, as there are children that although have families that do not qualify for food assistance, still benefit from it.

Another measure includes restoring of free and low price meal programs to the schools. On this point though, there could also be an argument suggesting that, as there are those that abusively take advantage of the state's help, so too, there are those that because of the excessive red tape, fail to profit from it.