208 posts categorized "Hunger in the News"

"Senate votes to make small cut to food stamps in farm bill," Associated Press. Last night, the Senate voted to keep a $400 million annual cut to the SNAP (formerly food stamps) program as part of a major five-year farm bill. The chamber rejected an effort by Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) to expand the cuts and an amendment by Sen. Kristen Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) to eliminate them.

"Revoking Food Stamps for Millions of Americans Endangers Our Classrooms, Our Future," by Gerald S.J. Cassidy, Roll Call (op-ed)."The mere mention of food stamps on Capitol Hill conjures up long held political stereotypes of Republicans reaching for the budget ax while Democrats reach out their hands, both a gross mischaracterization and oversimplification of a complex problem."

"A crucial moment for global nutrition," by Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), The Hill (op-ed). "The moment for turning the corner on global nutrition is here, and it is time for our elected leaders to demonstrate anew how American leadership is the driving force for building a healthier, safer and more prosperous world." 

"Food stamp cuts feared by veterans," by Michael McAuliff, Huffington Post. SNAP "has been—and still is—vital to people who served their country. For Iraq veteran Don Martinez, 33, food stamps kept his children fed while he struggled with getting recognition for the traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress he suffered after close encounters with several rocket and mortar attacks and a humvee rollover."

A regular, non-comprehensive roundup of current news links on hunger and poverty issues from around the Web.

"Congress Set to Begin Work on Farm Bill," by Ron Nixon, New York Times. A solid, basic look at the what will happen in the Senate and House around the farm bill, the rough timetable, and what is at stake.

"Top Chef star urges Congress to support anti-hunger programs," by Josh Hicks, Washington Post. Tom Colicchio joined Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) at a screening of A Place at the Table and met with members of Congress to encourage them to protect and strengthen programs that fight hunger.

"Food aid for the 21st century," by John Kerry, Tom Vilsack, and Rajiv Shah, Chicago Tribune (op-ed). Secretary of State Kerry, Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack, and USAID administrator Shah on modernizing food aid.

"Twelve Things You Can to To Fight Poverty Now," by Greg Kaufmann, The Nation. Sister Simone Campbell of NETWORK Lobby, Marci Phillips of the National Council on Aging, Jim Will of Food Research and Action Center, tell you what you can do, right now to make a difference. (No.11: Tell Congress: Increase, Don't Cut SNAP).

"These Three Charts Show How the World Could End Extreme Poverty by 2030," by Howard Schneider, Washington Post.

A regular, non-comprehensive roundup of current news links on hunger and poverty issues from around the Web.

"In Florida, a food-stamp recruiter deals with wrenching choices," by Eli Saslow, Washington Post. Dillie Nerios travels the state signing up hungry senior citizens for SNAP and spreading the message that there is no shame in receiving benefits.

"City Report Shows More Were Near Poverty in 2011," by Sam Roberts, New York Times. About 46 percent of New Yorkers were making less than 150 percent of the city's poverty threshold in 2011. "[M]issing rungs in the ladder make it really hard to climb out of poverty,” Nancy Rankin, vice president for policy research and advocacy at the Community Service Society, told the Times.

"Here’s why 10.4 million American workers are still in poverty," by Brad Plumer, Washington Post's Wonk Blog. One of the most troubling take-aways from Wonk Blog's analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data: “Among families with at least one member in the labor force for 27 weeks or more, those families with children under 18 years old were about 4 times more likely than those without children to live in poverty.”

"Does Max Baucus’s retirement make tax reform easier?" by Ezra Klein, Washington Post's Wonk Blog. Klein wonders if the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee's upcoming retirement will make tax reform more likely.

By Rev. Gary Cook

It may sound a little silly to write a “pastoral” letter to the president and congressional leaders.  Politicians, after all, usually respond to power and money, not the advice of clerics. But right now, as the sequester looms and it is obvious that the political process is stuck— if not broken—it may be time for a little pastoral counseling.

Today nearly 100 Christian leaders from across the wide spectrum of the church spoke with one voice to our nation’s leaders. National leaders of Catholic, protestant, Orthodox, Pentecostal, and evangelical churches—leaders representing broad racial and ethnic diversity—offered encouragement and wise counsel in the form of a joint letter. We thanked them for their efforts and told them that we're praying for them. We urged them to skip the brinksmanship and compromise on spending cuts and revenues. We asked them to remember that the Bible tells us that the government has responsibilities concerning poor people. We told them to be clear about the moral choices they are making. 

Our leaders would be wise to listen to such advice.  But it is the paragraph that begins with “Finally” that is most exciting to me:

Finally, we ask both parties to work together toward ending hunger and poverty. The Circle of Protection continues to be committed to protecting vital programs for people in or near poverty in our country and around the world, but that is not enough. Help us reduce hunger and poverty by expanding opportunity and justice, promoting economic growth and good paying jobs, stabilizing family life, and protecting the well-being of children. We celebrate the progress the world is making against hunger, poverty, and disease, and we are encouraged by the possibility of ending extreme hunger and poverty globally. Dramatic progress against hunger and poverty in our richly blessed country is also possible. Please, protect the poor and help create the opportunities that make them poor no more.

After two years of being in the defensive “please don’t cut” mode, Christian leaders are asking Congress and the president to look beyond their current squabbles toward a goal of actually ending hunger and poverty. That’s good pastoral advice.

Read the Circle of Protection letter here or below. Pastors, please click here to add your name to the letter.

Photo: 

Looking for news on hunger and poverty? Hunger in the News is a regular roundup of notable links from around the Web.

"Poverty rates reflect 'serious moral failure'"

In recognition of Poverty Awareness Month, Bishop Jaime Soto writes an op-ed piece for the Washington Post. "Christ said, 'The poor will always be with you,'" he writes. "That is why the U.S. bishops and partners in the Circle of Protection remain steadfast in the call to protect poor and vulnerable people in the debates around the deficit reduction."

"Criminalizing Poverty"

Bobbie Ibarra, executive director of the Miami Coalition for the Homeless, writes a Huffington Post piece exploring the disturbing trend of criminalizing the behavior of the homeless: "Passing criminal ordinances does not solve this problem; it only makes the situation of persons experiencing homelessness worse by giving them a criminal record that prevents them from obtaining the employment or housing that would allow them to overcome their current circumstance(s)."

"Almost half of the world's food thrown away, report finds"

The Guardian reports that nearly half of the world's food—as much as 2 billion tons—ends up in the trash. The piece cites a study from the UK's Institution of Mechanical Engineers, which blames the waste on "poor engineering and agricultural practices," inadequate infrastructure,  poor storage facilities, and, in the Western world, unnecessarily strict sell-by dates, buy-one-get-one free deals that encourage shoppers to buy more than they need or can use, and consumer demand for cosmetically perfect food.

Looking for the latest news on hunger and poverty? Here's a roundup of links from around the Web.

"Congressman Jim McGovern Calls on President to End Hunger": Rep. McGovern (D-Mass.), in an op-ed piece, writes that "[i]t's time to act boldly."

"What $5 more an hour could buy a low-wage worker": Marketplace Radio looks at what a few more bucks an hour can mean to those who earn just above the minimum wage. His diet went from fast food dollar menus, to fresh food, now and then. “I thought I hit the jack pot,” he says. Johnny Smith, who received a $5/hr. pay increase after finding a job at Trader Joe's says his diet went from fast food dollar menus, to fresh food, now and then. “I thought I hit the jack pot,” he says. 

"In Rust Belt, A Teenager's Climb from Poverty": The Washington Post profiles New Castle, Pa., teenager Tabitha Rouzzo, who is working to escape the poverty of her hometown.

Looking for the latest news on hunger and poverty? Here's a roundup of links from around the Web.

"The Good Farmer: Howard G. Buffett's Crusade to Eliminate Hunger in America": Parade profiles Howard G. Buffett—farmer, philanthropist, and son of Warren—who is working to fight hunger, through his own philanthropic foundation and work with Feeding America. 

"Hunger in Plain Sight": New York Times food columnist Mark Bittman says that SNAP and food banks need more funding, not less—something that should be apparent to anyone who looks at hunger "from a moral perspective (love thy neighbor, remember?) or a practical one[.]"

 "What's Behind Cory Booker's Food Stamp Challenge?": Time takes a hard look at the Newark mayor's SNAP challenge, which kicked off yesterday. Coverage also includes an excellent companion piece, "The Problem With Food Stamp Challenges."

"For the Poor, Recovery Is A Mirage": USA Today visits Troy, Ohio, a rural community that has seen a sharp increase in poverty over the last four years. "As lawmakers in Washington grapple with the "fiscal cliff" and Americans do their holiday shopping, thousands of people in Miami County are managing on little or no income."

"Jo Ann Emerson to Retire from House": Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.), an anti-hunger champion who introduced the Feeding America’s Families Act with Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), has announced that she will resign from Congress in February. 

As you may have heard by now, the 2013 Hunger Report, Within Reach—Global Development Goals, was released yesterday. During a launch event at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., a panel of experts discussed the report, which calls for a renewed push to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by the 2015 deadline and urges a focus on ending hunger and extreme poverty in new global development goals. 

The panel included Hon. Mwanaidi Sinare Maajar, Tanzanian ambassador to the United States;  Stephan Bauman, president and CEO of World Relief; Jonathan Shrier, acting special representative for Global Food Security, U.S. Department of State; and Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World Institute.  Ndimyake Mwakalyelye, radio and television journalist at Voice of America moderated the event.

By David Beckmann 

The 2012 elections are over. Whether your candidates won or lost, we are very thankful to you for raising hunger and poverty as campaign issues.

More than 120,000 of you viewed two video statements in which the presidential candidates explained what they would do to give opportunity to hungry and poor people. With your help, we raised the issues of hunger and poverty, at home and abroad, in the elections.

Now, please join us in asking President Obama to set a goal and work with Congress to enact a plan to end hunger.

The next few months are crucial. The president and Congress must address issues such as the farm bill, expiration of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts, and the 2013 federal budget.  They also must agree on a balanced approach to deficit reduction. 

In the coming weeks we will have several key opportunities to remind our members of Congress not to balance the federal budget on the backs of hungry and poor people, and to instead create a circle of protection around programs vital to hungry and poor people.

Please join us in praying for President Obama and members of Congress.

David Beckmann is president of Bread for the World.

Take action! Watch President Obama's video statement and send him a letter asking that he set a goal and work with Congress to enact a plan to end hunger.

You can also contact the president on Twitter, using the sample tweets below:

.@BarackObama set a goal to #endhunger & work with Congress in assuring a place at the table for hungry & poor people. http://ow.ly/f5Scz

Don’t forget your promise to do your part to protect vital assistance for the least of these @BarackObama http://ow.ly/f5Scz #talkpoverty

Why, in a world with an abundance of food, are so many hungry? How is it possible that those with access to food can still be at risk of malnutrition?

On World Food Day, Asma Lateef, director of Bread for the World Institute, appeared on Voice of America's "In Focus" program to talk about these issues and the continuing fight against global hunger and malnutrition.

Lateef discussed the recent United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) "The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2012" report, which shows that great progress has been made in reducing hunger over the last two decades. She also talked about farming cooperatives (the focus of World Food Day 2012), the need to improve nutrition, and the ways in which those two issues are linked.

"As we think about building on the progress we've made against hunger over the last few decades, [we should be] thinking about integrating programs so that you are increasing farmer income, and also improving nutrition at the same time."

Watch the video and read Lateef's blog post on the progress that has been made in eradicating global hunger, and the work ahead.