Food Donations Down
I got this in an email from the United Way today:
The number of people in the United States struggling to put food on the table has grown to more than 35.5 million, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's annual report on hunger in America.More info here: www.secondharvest.org
More than 10 percent of Americans are hungry or at risk of hunger, including 12.6 million children. However, food banks nationwide are experiencing dramatic declines in food inventory. Surplus food donations, or bonus commodities, from USDA to food banks have declined more than 70 percent in the past three years due to a strong agriculture economy and a continued rise in food prices. In 2006, the value of food given to food banks was down $175 million from 2003. In addition, food banks are struggling to meet the rising costs of transporting food and groceries, while the USDA estimates overall food price inflation will run 3 percent to 4 percent in 2008.
1 comment:
Food Donations are down and the poverty rate is increasing this trend is linked to the attack on the middle class by the Bush Administration. The gap is widening between the "haves" and "have nots." The challenge is for us to push for progressive public policy.
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