Hunger and Homelessness in America

Found time to look at this again:
http://www.hungerinamerica.org/key_findings/

This study is of people who go to charity for food in the US
- over 4.5 million a week, 30% of whom are experiencing hunger (2006)

Why spend 3 trillion on invading Iraq while people are hungry in America ?

Quote :

HOW MANY CLIENTS RECEIVED EMERGENCY FOOD FROM THE A2H NETWORK OF FOOD BANKS?


• The A2H system served an estimated 24 to 27 million unduplicated people annually, with a midpoint of 25.3 million. This includes 22 to 25 million pantry users, 1.2 to 1.4 million kitchen users, and 0.8 million shelter users (Table 4.2.1).
• Approximately 4.5 million different people receive emergency food assistance from the A2H system in any given week (Table 4.2.1).

WHO RECEIVES EMERGENCY FOOD ASSISTANCE?
A2H Network agencies serve a broad cross-section of households in America. Estimates of key characteristics include:
• 36.4% of the members of households served by the A2H National Network are children under 18 years old (Table 5.3.2).
• 8% of the members of households are children age 0 to 5 years (Table 5.3.2).
• 10% of the members of households are elderly (Table 5.3.2).
• About 40% of clients are non-Hispanic white; 38% are non-Hispanic black, and the rest are from other racial groups. 17% are Hispanic (Table 5.6.1).
• 36% of households include at least one employed adult (Table 5.7.1).
• 68% have incomes below the official federal poverty level (Table 5.8.2.1) during the previous month.
• 12% are homeless (Table 5.9.1.1).

MANY A2H CLIENTS ARE FOOD INSECURE OR ARE EXPERIENCING HUNGER
• Among all client households served by emergency food programs of the A2H National Network, 70% are estimated to be food insecure, according to the U.S. government’s official food security scale. This includes client households who are food insecure without hunger and those who are food insecure with hunger (Table 6.1.1).
• 33% of the clients are experiencing hunger (Table 6.1.1).
• Among households with children, 73% are food insecure and 31% are experiencing hunger (Table 6.1.1).

This report found that 38 million Americans experienced "food insecurity" - didn't have money to buy food at some stage in the previous year. The triggers mentioned in the report include unemployment, sickness, car repair costs and housing costs, along with a very low minimum wage of just over 10,000 dollars p.a.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5021812

This is how the sub-prime homeless have been living for nearly a year now in many cities in the U.S. according to BBC and Al Jazeera. Tent cities spring up in Reno, L.A. Seattle ...