Hunger in the News January 2018
The U.S. can no longer hide from its deep poverty problem | New York Times
41 million Americans struggle with hunger, a number nearly equal to the 40.6 million officially living in poverty. Based on annual income, 72% of the households the Feeding America network served in 2014 lived at or below the federal poverty level with a median annual household income of $9,175. Even in the world’s greatest food-producing nation, adults and children in America face hunger and poverty in every county. According to the World Bank, 769 million people around the world lived on less than $1.90 a day in 2013. 3.2 million of these people live in the United States. These numbers may seem shocking, but the World Bank does not take into account differences in needs for people living in rich, individualistic countries like the US, where necessities such as housing, heat, child care, clothing, and transportation are often at a premium. Read the Article »
How leaving stores closed for years helps grocery chains and hurts communities | Civil Eats
Many communities we serve lack access to fresh produce and other nutritious foods, largely due to a lack of grocery stores, farmers’ markets, and other healthy food providers. In some instances, grocery store chains are using “restrictive covenants” to prevent new tenants from leasing their spaces for the purpose of selling food. This often means that people living in that neighborhood must drive farther to access a grocery store, an issue that is becoming commonplace across the country. Activists and community members are pushing back with everything from online petitions to legislation. Read the Article »
Hunger in the News is a weekly summary of news articles that elevate the conversation of hunger and the issues affecting food insecurity in the U.S. The links contained in this summary direct you to websites that have content that is not controlled by Feeding America.