USDA: Number of Hungry Families Rising (Greatest Country on Earth?)

[donsu]

http://my.netscape.com/corewidgets/news/story.psp?cat=51180&id=200310311558000126291

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It was the third year in a row that the department has seen an increase in the number of households experiencing hunger and those worried about having enough money to pay for food.

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It doesn't seem as if hunger would be a problem in this country since food is abundant. Supermarket shelves in the United States are filled with hundreds of different products and restaurants are practically on every corner.

Plus, the country is struggling with fat. Nearly 65 percent of adults and 13 percent of children are overweight, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Jim Weill, an advocate and president of the Food Research and Action Center, said more families are hungry because they still are reeling from the 2001 recession. He also blamed a minimum wage that hasn't been raised from $5.15 an hour since 1997.

The Agriculture Department said surveys since 1995 show that low-income households most likely to suffer from hunger are Hispanic and black, single-mother families, and those in inner cities and southern and western states.
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america's hungry children

[Brucey]

1. It's amazing.

Unbelievable. One of the richest countries on earth can't feed it's citizens. I guess "food" is not considered a necessity in the US. Like health care. To each his own. Screw society.

[jiacinto]

2. This is sad

That'll probably be me soon!

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. Hunger in America

has always been there. Groups such as Second Harvest have kitchens where people can get food if they need it. Around here, there are several groups that have food rooms. When I was unemployed, I volunteered at a senior center. One day I was very upset because I had to choose between getting an eye exam or eating. I found my car filled with food from the Senior Center. They said it was 'extra' stuff, but I knew it was charity. Really took my pride down a notch.