It may surprise you to learn that, despite our thriving economy, hunger and poverty are a reality today, nationwide as well as right here in the Metrolina area. With our prevalent "HELP WANTED" signs, how can that be true? Can't anyone who wants to work get a job? It's true that jobs are available. The difficulty comes from the large number of low paying jobs. To afford the average 2 bedroom apartment in Charlotte requires wages of $13/hour or an annual salary of $27,000. The hundreds of thousands of people who earn less than this must make some very difficult choices. Their challenges include healthcare (many low-paying jobs do not include benefits), transportation, and child care.
Poverty causes hunger. People suffer from hunger when they do not have the money to purchase nutritionally adequate food. Here are the facts:
- 1 in 5 children in our area lives in poverty (1995 U.S. Census data)
- 20% of older adults live at or near the poverty level (1995 U.S. Census data)
- Some 4 million American children under age 12 are hungry on any given school night (Community Childhood Hunger Identification Study, 1995)
- Recent research indicates that when young children experience even mild undernutrition during critical periods of growth their physical growth may be reduced and their brain development affected ("The Links Between Nutrition and Cognitive Development of Children," 1998, Tufts University School of Nutrition Science and Policy).
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Hunger worsens health problems for older adults and speeds the onset of degenerative diseases. This leads to unnecessary decreases in their quality of life and increases the cost of healthcare in America. National data for seniors ages 65 – 75 show that a majority are not consuming even 2/3 of the nutrients they need to stay healthy (Food Research and Action Center, "Health Consequences of Hunger")
- The number of people receiving help from the 550 Food Bank partner agencies increased 10% from 1999 to 2000 (Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina Monthly Agency Reports).
While welfare reform has successfully reduced welfare roles, many of those whose support has ended may not be in better situations:
In Wisconsin, more than 1/3 of former welfare recipients reported having problems paying for food, despite a high incidence of employment (State of Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, "Survey of Those Leaving AFDC or W-2 January to March 1998 Preliminary Report," January 1999) In South Carolina, 17% of former welfare recipients reported that they had no way to buy food some of the time. This is twice the number of families who reported having problems while receiving assistance (South Carolina Department of Social Service, "Survey of Former Family Independence Program Clients Whose Cases Were Closed Between January and March 1997," March 1998)
Research demonstrates that the stereotypes of the "down and out" people in soup kitchen or emergency pantry lines don't always hold true.
(America's Second Harvest's Hunger 1997: The Faces and Facts, "Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina Local Report, Executive Summary"). For example, of those requesting emergency help from Food Bank partner agencies:
- Nearly half had at least one person in the household working
- 41% had at least a high school education
- The majority were part of 2 parent families
The same research revealed that our neighbors suffering the indignity of hunger are forced to make choices most of us cannot imagine (America's Second Harvest's Hunger 1997: The Faces and Facts):
- 43% had to choose between buying food for their families and paying their rent or mortgage
- 42% had to choose between buying food and needed medicines
- 28% reported that adults in their household had missed meals in the last month because there was not enough food
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