Hunger in America: Feed a Family for Christmas

Lately I’ve been thinking about what I could do to impact my community even more than I currently do.  As I kept this thought in the forefront of my mind, I was introduced to a project called “You Got Blessd”, a project to encourage people to be a blessing to others.  As I brainstormed options, I decided to identify an activity that involves food.  So, I decided that I would bless a family living in the Phoenix / East Valley area with food.  As I researched ways to do this, I came across a lot of statistics regarding the number of households that are at poverty level and without food.  As I continued to read, my heart ached more and more.   The following are some statistics that Feeding America published on its website regarding hunger in America:

America’s Childhood Hunger Facts

• According to the USDA, over 16 million children lived in food insecure (low food security and very low food security) households in 2010
• In 2009, the top five states with the highest rate of food insecure children under 18 are the District of Columbia, Oregon, Arizona, Arkansas, & Texas.
• In 2010, 16.4 million or approximately 22 percent of children in the U.S. lived in poverty.
• Research indicates that hungry children have done more poorly in school and have lower academic achievement because they are not well prepared for school and cannot concentrate

Arizona’s Hunger Facts

• More than 888,100 unduplicated Arizonans receive emergency food assistance annually.
• 1 in 4 Arizona children age 18 or under are living in poverty
• More than 464,000 (12.5%) people live in poverty; 37% of those living in poverty are children!
• 50% report having to choose between buying food and paying for utilities
• 41% report having to choose between buying food and paying their rent or mortgage
• 27% report having to choose between buying food and paying for medical care
• 31% report having to choose between buying food and paying for transportation

So, as you see, we don’t have to travel far to feed hungry people, we can start right here in America—in our own communities.  Join me in helping to feed America starting within your community, especially during the upcoming Christmas holiday! If you know of a family in need please send their name and contact information to info@rhondascooking.com.