The Social Justice Challenge topic for the month of April is Hunger. This is certainly not something that I personally deal with (an abundance of food, yes, not enough, no). Our first task is to post a photograph depicting what comes to mind when we think of hunger. I am a child of the '80s so starving children from Africa springs to mind.
I didn't find a book that I wanted to read for this month, but I did find an interesting article in a magazine that randomly showed up in my school Library.
The Rotarian is a magazine put out by Rotary International. The article is in the April 2010 issue: "Hidden Hunger: In America, one in four children don't have enough to eat" by Annemarie Mannion. Here are some startling statistics about hunger in America:
- 49.1 million Americans who don't have enough to eat (nearly one in four children). This is the highest figure since the US government began keeping track in 1995.
- Effects hunger has on children (based on a report from the Center on Hunger and Poverty at Brandeis University): poor overall health; headaches, stomaches, cold and ear infections; iron-deficiency anemia which can lead to delayed motor development and cognitive impairments; behavioral problems; fatigue; and depressive disorders
- In 2008 14.6% of US households were "food insecure" (a percentage that is rising)
- Number of people in the US who are using food stamps is increasing due to high unemployment in rural ares and high cost of living in the cities
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Helen, I would like to recommend you a Social Justice book my book club and I read recently. It's The Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Heidi W. Durrow. As a matter of fact, if you would like to read it let me know, I have an extra copy I can mail you.
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