Special to the Register
Hungry is at an all-time high according to the New York Times.
The number of Americans who lived in households that lacked consistent access to adequate food soared to 49 million last year, the highest since the Department of Agriculture began tracking "food insecurity" fourteen years ago, the newspaper recently reported.
According to the Times, the increase of 13 million Americans was much larger than even the most pessimistic observers of hunger trends had expected and cast a light on the daily hardships caused by the recession. About a third of the struggling households are experiencing "very low food security," which means that a lack of money has forced members to skip meals, cut portions, or otherwise forgo food at some point during the year. The other two-thirds typically had enough to eat as long as they ate cheaper, less varied foods, relied on government aid such as food stamps, or visited food pantries and soup kitchens.
Drawing officials' attention was the 506,000 households in which children faced "very low food security," up from 323,000 year-over-year.
About 37 percent of households with children headed by single mothers reported some form of food insecurity compared with 14 percent of married households with children. Serious problems were most prevalent in the South, followed equally by the West and Midwest.
Some conservatives have attacked the survey's methodology, saying that it is hard to define what it measures; indeed, the phrase "food insecurity" stems from years of political and academic wrangling over how to measure adequate access to food. James Weill, director of the Food Research and Action Center, which pioneered the report, called the study a careful look at an underappreciated condition. "Many people are outright hungry, skipping meals," Weill told the Times. "Others say they have enough to eat but only because they're going to food pantries or using food stamps. We describe it as 'households struggling with hunger.'"
The problem is not confined to large cities.
Michelle Baldwin executive director of Volunteers in Service to Others (VISTO) said sometimes the shelves are bare at the food pantry organization which also provides some other forms of assistance to needy people.
The organization often relies on donations from residents and food drives sponsored area organizations.
In addition to helping provide food for qualifying clients and their families, VISTO staff members and volunteers are also devoted to feeding hungry children.
One of VISTO’s most successful endeavors is its Backpack Buddy program, but sometimes even the popular backpack program could use a hand.
“We always need food for the backpack program,” she said.
“Vienna sausages, Beanie Weenies, spaghetti lunch cups, instant oatmeal, three ounce foil packages of tuna or Spam lunch meat, Kraft brand Easy Mac (a small cup of microwave macaroni and cheese) and individual fruit cups or raisin packs,” she said.
For information on VISTO and its programs call 668-6403.
VISTO is open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to noon and is located at 1401 Southland Dr. in Gainesville.
Reporter Delania Trigg contributed to this report.
