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FACTSHunger is all around us. According to numerous studies, South Carolina consistently ranks in the top five states for food insecurity and hunger. Still, many of us live our daily lives without ever seeing the faces of those in need. But they exist. It’s the single mother who has to choose between paying for her heating bill to keep her family warm or the food they need to stay healthy. It’s the elderly man who dilutes his soup with water to make it last longer, wondering how he’s going to pay for his medical bills. It’s the child at school who acts out aggressively and can’t concentrate because he had nothing to eat the night before. But WHY is hunger such a problem in the United States? After all, we live in the “land of plenty.” In fact, we may have an over-abundance of food, evidenced by the fact that, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, an estimated 26 million tons of food waste is produced each year in the United States. Hunger exists not because there isn’t enough food to go around, but because many people can’t afford the food they need. And even when people in the U.S. can’t afford food, they rarely face starvation thanks to food stamps, emergency food programs, school meals, and other resources. So why should YOU be concerned? Our nation’s needy and “food-insecure” citizens may get food, but they don’t get nutritious or steady amounts of food, which is detrimental to adults' ability to work, children's ability to learn and seniors' ability to stay healthy. And because money stretches the best when it’s used to buy packaged, calorie-dense foods, our nation faces obesity and health-related issues. That’s why it’s everybody’s problem, not just a problem for those less fortunate. Fields to Families aims to solve this problem in two ways — by helping the needy get access to nutritious food, and by cutting back on food waste by preventing unused fruits and vegetables from being plowed under. It’s a mission that will improve our community and help our citizens lead healthy, fruitful lives. (Pun intended!) |