Blog Action Day: Help Stop Hunger

It is hard to believe that even in the 21st century, millions of people are going hungry. Not just in the developing world, but here in America, one of the richest countries on Earth. As the gap between rich and poor has widened, more and more families have found themselves crossing that invisible line where they can no longer afford to buy food every day, where they have to turn to safety nets like food stamps, food banks and soup kitchens. One in 10 families in the U.S. is living with or at risk for hunger.

What makes this even more staggering is that there is no reason for anyone to go hungry. We currently produce enough food to feed every single person on the planet. We throw away tons of perfectly good food every year. We feed grains to our automobiles and livestock instead of to actual people. We pay our farmers not to grow food.

There are many reasons why food doesn’t reach the hungry, but there are no excuses. We can do better than this.

Today is Blog Action Day, and the issue bloggers are recognizing this year is poverty. Poverty is the principal cause of hunger today, not a shortage of food. Unequal wealth distribution means some families and some countries can’t afford to get this most basic of necessities.

As a foodie, I am pledging today to make a donation to my local food bank to help alleviate hunger in my community. Won’t you do the same? Please check the links below and make a donation to a food back or international charity that is working to alleviate hunger. If you don’t feel like you can afford to donate, then consider volunteering your time.

Please leave a comment letting me know what action you have taken today.

Charities:

• Food Bank Locator
• Feeding America – feeding America’s hungry through a nationwide network of food banks
• Action Against Hunger — providing innovative solutions to fight world hunger
• Freedom from Hunger — bringing sustainable answers to the global hunger crisis
• The Hunger Project — empowering people to end their own hunger