Hunger Happens Here.
This is a phrase that advocates have been repeating for years, often feeling like it falls on deaf ears. How could more than 10% of households in the world's fattest country be considered "food insecure"? How could the richest country the world has ever known send 13 million kids to bed hungry every night?
And yet it's getting worse. Two recent articles from Central Florida (one in English and one in Spanish) show the strain on Second Harvest, the major food bank there. The New York Times has reported that Food Stamp participation - which grew by more than 12% in Florida in 2007 alone - is at a near-record high, even as the real value of Food Stamp benefits has eroded over the years.
Why the uptick in people seeking assistance? It's the economy, stupid. The middle class that was just barely hanging on before this recession hit have no choice but to turn to strangers (or worse, the government!) for help.
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