The War Against Hunger
By: Micah Weiss
“The war against hunger is truly mankind’s war of liberation.” – John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States.
Before the pandemic, many Americans were just struggling to get by, relying on their wages for enough money to eat. However, when the pandemic hit, many were given a rude awakening, now relying on food banks and charity. The number of people facing food insecurity in the United States during the pandemic has climbed from 38 million to more than 50 million so far, mainly due to rising unemployment, and experts expect this number will continue to rise.
This worldwide issue is harder to overcome and more likely for some more than others. This includes people with food access problems, adults with disabilities, people who did not graduate from college, and Black and Hispanic people. Those with food accessibility problems is most likely due to their location. For example, in 2015, about 6% of all Americans, or 19 million, were in food deserts (a place where food is less affordable and or harder to find) without access to a means of transportation. This made it hard for them to purchase or receive food. Also, adults with disabilities, as well as people who did not graduate from college, have a much higher risk of experiencing food insecurity. Lastly, Black and Hispanic people, according to USDA data, are more likely to go hungry.
One effective response to this ongoing issue is SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), formerly known as food stamps. SNAP is a program that provides monthly benefits to help low-income families or families in need purchase nutritional food and move towards self-sufficiency. To apply for SNAP, a person must meet certain requirements such as about their level of income. MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, uses advocacy as a means to urge elected officials at a national level to protect and strengthen this program, which fed more than 38 million people in 2019 alone (and more than 1.4 million people in Georgia).
One way to help join the fight against hunger is through advocacy. This can be done in many ways such as spreading the word, protest, journalism, fundraising, and more. One way you can help the cause is by joining the annual Hunger Walk Run next year, in which you can donate money to helping the cause and then walk for 5km. Also, you could donate to charities such as MAZON, Feeding America, and Action Against Hunger – USA. Finally, if you like to exercise and track your steps, get the UNICEF Kid Power Band. With this band, your activity unlocks food packets that UNICEF delivers to severely malnourished children around the world.
For many Americans, Covid-19 sent them into troubled waters. But this issue has never been just a one-time ordeal. Food insecurity has been an issue for a long time. As of the latest data, in Fulton County, which is about average in terms of the percentage of people suffering from food insecurity in Georgia, around 12.5% of people or 127,960 people are suffering from food insecurity. In Georgia, more than 1,318,500 people suffer from food insecurity. These numbers have risen due to the pandemic. I believe it is important that we remember that these are not just numbers, but real people affected by hunger and malnutrition. While food charities have helped significantly, I believe that for us to finally conquer this issue, we must all work together. Worldwide hunger is an issue that must be addressed.
MAZON fundraiser: https://give.mazon.org/epsteinNews