Helping the Hungry

According to the latest statistics, the US has about 50.1 million people who are food insecure--basically, they don't know where their next meal is coming from.  About 16.7 million of those are children.  Think about those numbers.  That means the number of hungry children in our country is equivalent to the total populations of Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia and Chicago COMBINED.  This in a country with the technology, resources and ability to resolve this horrendous problem.  It's just plain wrong.  Every county in our country has a food insecurity problem.  Some are low (the lowest is Steel County, ND at 5%).  Some are amazingly high (the highest is Holmes County, MS at a staggering 37%). 

Yes, the government does help a little bit.  SNAP (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program--also known as food stamps) helps millions of Americans.  Unfortunately, many controlling governmental budgets and regulations see SNAP as a bit lower on the totem pole for funding than other things.  Many say that people who use SNAP just need to get a job (although 40% of households on SNAP have at least one working person in it).  Many say that it promotes a lifetime of government dependency (although the average time on SNAP is just 8-10 months).  Many say that SNAP recipients are mooching off of the taxpayer's money (although SNAP funding ends up being about $1.40 per person per meal per day--try feeding your family on that). 

In reality, government legislation is the only way to truly eliminate the problem.  Hunger in America was almost wiped out during the 1970's.  But funds were cut in the '80's and the problem grew into the monster we have today.  So while we wait around for a government that will dedicate itself to destroying this affliction (and there are some in Congress who are leaders in this cause--futilely, unfortunately in many cases), it is up to us--private citizens to help those in need in our local areas. 

5.1% of American households used food from food pantries and other organizations in 2011.  That's 6.1 million households.  A huge number, but small compared to the 50.1 million who need them.  Virtually every town in our area has food pantries to help those in the community who need help to just keep food in their kids' bellies.

Only about 5% of food donated to help the hungry comes from private donors.  That means 95% comes from the government.  So a 10% cut in funding would require 3 times as much from private organizations--a daunting task.  But we're trying to do our part.

On June 29, St. Paul's Lutheran Church (837 Old Bethlehem Rd, Quakertown, PA, 18951--directly across from the Haycock Firehouse) will be hosting Joyful Noise V, a day-long festival to benefit the 3 food pantries in Quakertown--the Quakertown Food Pantry, St. Isidore's Food Pantry and Milford Square Shelter.  100% of profits from the day will be spilt between these three worthy groups, which assist thousands in our community.  We raise funds from personal and corporate donations, food and raffle ticket sales and "passing the bucket" after each performance.

Put on every other year since 2005, we have raised over $20,000 for our charities and have collected hundreds of pounds of food.  The festival is FREE (yes, free), although we ask that guests bring food donations as "admission".  Gates open at 10 AM and music starts at 11 and will run all day.  (Bring a chair, too.)

Seven performances will entertaining the crowd all day:

St. Paul's Joyful Noise Band (our "house band"): 11:00-11:30 
Deb Capece (singer/songwriter): 11:55-12:25
Once Called Saul (Quakertown-based rock band): 12:50-1:20
BASIC (contemporary choir from Allentown): 1:45-2:15
Ian Holmes (American Idol contestant from the Lehigh Valley): 2:40-3:25 
Caribbean Steel Rhythms (steel drum band from the Lehigh Valley): 3:50-4:50
Greater Shiloh Music Ministry (gospel/R&B choir): 5:15-6:15

In addition to the great music, you can enjoy a classic car cruise, historic church tours, great food, lots of fun activities for the kids, local artists and crafters and more!

Please call 215-536-5789 with any questions.  Check out our Facebook page and please help to spread the word so we can work together to assist those many in our area who need these important programs to survive.  I hope to see you there!

Hungry Kids

I've written about this topic before (see my Bucks County Taste article from last year by clicking here).  But after seeing the Food Network's special "Hunger Hits Home" the other night, I had to comment again.

First, if you have not seen the show, you should.  Click here to view the program and to see how you can help out. 

Any American going hungry is a travesty, but hungry kids are simply something this country needs to be ashamed of.  There are about 16 million kids in this country who don't know where their next meal will come from.  That's a big number--so big that it's hard to picture how many it really is.  Well, it's about the total population of Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia and Chicago combined.  16 million kids hungry in the US in 2012?  How can that be?

It's not just a rural or urban problem.  It's not just an unemployed problem or a homeless problem.  It's a problem that runs rampant throughout all our communities.  Meanwhile, kids who do not get the proper nutrition are affected physically, cognitively, behaviorally and emotionally.  The TV program shows many successful school breakfast and lunch programs that create students who can concentrate better during the school day because they had a good meal to start the day.

There are those who think that families like this need to get jobs or stop "playing the system" by living off of food stamps and the like.  Many families who use local food pantries are employed--but simply can't afford all the necessities of life.  And according to the Food Network program, food stamps cover about $1 per person per meal per day.  So a family of four "living" off of food stamps gets about $4 per meal.  Some meal, huh?

Fresh fruits and vegetables are scarce for many hungry families, especially in urban areas.  So they spend what little they have on food that is cheap and accessible: items often with little or no nutritional value.  Just the cheapest way to fill bellies.  Ramen noodles are a constant theme of the families profiled in "Hunger Hits Home".  Families literally eat them every day--sometimes for more than one meal. 

Luckily, there are those who are trying to help.  The program profiles a CSA that brings fresh produce to those who can't get it and sells it to them cheap--allowing parents to provide much-needed nutrition to their kids.  Food pantries all over the country are there to help families keep food on their shelves.  (The Texas food pantry featured in the program is especially inspiring.)  Even big corporations are helping by donating food to pantries.  Some give money when you buy certain products.  (Some of the commercials run during the show promoted these kinds of programs.  Unfortunately, many of the food you have to buy to have the donation given are processed junk.)

Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA) hit the nail on the head when he said in the program that hunger in the US is not an economic problem.  It is a political problem.  We have billions going toward wars and political campaigns.  A fraction of that money could literally solve the problem. 

What can we do?  Donate to food pantries, school meal programs (which are doing amazing work in many states) and other organizations fighting hunger in the US.  Be aware of the problem--learn more about it by going to sites such as Share Our Strength, Feeding America, Pennsylvania Association of Regional Food Banks and the sites of your local food pantry.  And let your Congressmen know that you want more funding for the valuable government programs that help to take away the fear that so many kids have--that they will go to bed hungry. 

This problem has to be solved.  And it can be if we all work together to make it happen.

Community Garden to Help the Hungry

You may remember that I headed up my church's charity music festival, Joyful Noise, this past summer.  It benefited the Quakertown Food Pantry--one of loads of similar organizations in our area that help thousands of families acquire the most basic of needs--food. 

As you travel throughout Bucks County and other areas near here, you can't be struck by the bounty of incredible food that's available to us from wonderful local farms, restaurants and specialty stores.  It makes you wonder how there could be any hungry families around here.  But there are.  Thousands of our neighbors' children go to bed hungry, not knowing where their next meal is coming from.  The numbers can be astounding.  Read this article that I wrote last spring for more statistics that will blow you away.   

There are some positive signs, though.  One of these signs is the formation of a community garden on the grounds of Delaware Valley College in Doylestown.  According to an article in last Sunday's Intelligencer, an acre of land at the school will be used to grow food--under the supervision of students and faculty--that will be donated to the Bucks County Opportunity Council, which will then distribute the food to various agencies and food pantries around the county. 

This is huge for people who use such organizations.  Very often, fresh fruits and vegetables are the foods that get sacrificed by families in need--even though they're the most important for a healthy diet.  The DelVal program will help to spread these healthy foods to families that need such foods badly. 

Tackling hunger is a huge task, but it can be done.  The DelVal community garden may be a small step, but it's one in the right direction.  A lot of small steps can cover a lot of ground. 

It reminds me of favorite quote by Chinese writer and inventor, Lin Yutang who said, "Hope is like a road in the country; there was never a road, but when many people walk on it, the road comes into existence."  Let's hope that the efforts at DelVal lead to a long road ahead.

Who's Hungry?

As many of you know, I'm involved in a big event coming up on June 25.  Joyful Noise IV is a charity music festival that benefits the Quakertown Food Pantry produced by my church, St. Paul's Lutheran Church of Applebachsville.  I'll be writing more about it as we get closer to the event date.

But since the festival benefits the food pantry, I've been thinking and reading a lot about hunger in this country.  And what I've been finding out is pretty disturbing.  In this incredibly wealthy and technologically advanced country, thousands of people--many of them children--don't know where their next meal will come from. 

Hunger threatens people of all races and religions.  It affects city dwellers and country folk.  You may not realize it, but it thousands in our community deal with it every single day. 

Read my article on Bucks County Taste for more details.  There's also a link to BCT's calendar with more info about Joyful Noise IV.