Hunger....In the US?

[gorbal]

While some of my closest friends have been homeless, and I myself have no healthcare, (yet, just got a job with coverage, yay!) I didn't realize that such a large percentage of americans were facing food insecurity and hunger-

http://www.frac.org/html/hunger_in_the_us/hunger_index.html

I knew their was a media blackout on poverty issues in the US, but I didn't realize the extent of it. Living in Massachussetts for ten years, where everyone has access to a survival center and a food bank, I guess I didn't realize that hunger was even an issue in our country.

Somebody told me that people where actually starving to death in the Appalachians. Is this a myth?

[orion9941]

1. Nope not a myth...just a very sad truth.

[gorbal]

2. Althought I can't find anything specifically about "starvation"

I had to REALLY dig to find this article on poverty in Appalacia

http://www.boston.com/news/specials/lives_lost/appalachia?mode=PF

[Cleita]

3. In my so called affluent county here in Central California,

there are homeless, working families and elderly who would go hungry part of the month without help from the food pantries around the area.

[bicentennial_baby]

4. Life isn't perfect in Mass...

The Food Banks are continually warning about the rising numbers of clients, and the lack of sufficient food quantities. The Western MA Food Bank is expanding to 2x its current size in order to accomodate the upsurge in need. And look at Springfield's tent city if you want to see an ugly situation...sigh. The people of Massachusetts may not be starving, but that doesn't mean we live in some sort of poverty-free oasis, especially in Western MA.

[gorbal]

6. I hear you

I had to bring one friend some groceries once becausee the food bank turned her away, but at least we had one nearby Some people don't even have access to vehicles to GET to the food bank.

I'm not saying that a all is rosey in Ma, I just didn't realize how much worse it was everywhere else.

[Lone_Wolf]

5. It is not a myth...

While there is little focus on poverty as it is, most of this scant coverage focuses more on inner city poverty. Little attention is paid to rural poverty. The poor in rural areas often have no transportation, running water, or even electricity. Of course no transportation means no getting to food pantries.

In order to supplement whatever food they can buy at some small country store, they often grow vegetables and perhaps raise some chickens. They'll also hunt and fish. It is quite accurate to say that these people have a subsistence level of life.