Food Pantries Face Unprecedented Demand They Can't Fill
For the third consecutive year, Hunger Action Month has had to contend with a 1 in 6 hunger rate, the highest percentage since such monitoring began in 1995, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.
As 49 million Americans struggle to put food on their plates, pantries around the country are grappling with an unprecedented demand—and diversity in clients—that they often can’t afford to accomodate.
“We are seeing many more seniors, but we’re also seeing many more families with children,” Doreen Wohl, executive director of the West Side Campaign Against Hunger, told the Huffington Post. “People are coming as a last resort. They’ve exhausted all other resources.”
WSCH, the largest food pantry in New York City, has seen a 48 percent increase in clients over the past three years and served more than 88,000 meals in July alone.
Enid Borden, president and CEO of Meals on Wheels, has seen a similar swell in clients.
“In this economic downturn, we have found that those very same seniors who were once our volunteers, are now in need of our services,” Borden told the Huffington Post. “This is the richest nation on the face of the earth, but the people who raised us and fed us and tilled the soil are going hungry.” [read more]
-
how-am-i reblogged this from 99anon and added:
And they wonder why we’re protesting…
-
littlelilinlover reblogged this from 99anon and added:
As a member of a family that has faced food insecurity since even before I was born, I strongly sympathize with...
-
littlelilinlover likes this
-
mesatawe reblogged this from 99anon
-
principia-coh reblogged this from 99anon
-
99anon posted this