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Letter: Student raises awareness of hunger in Rhode Island, urges peers to help remedy the problem
Issue date: 11/20/07 Section: Editorial/Opinion
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11/20/07 - To the Cigar,
When you think of hunger, what comes to mind? Starving shoeless children in poor, far away countries? I imagine that would be a pretty common image among most people. What many people may not realize is that hunger is something that has actually been affecting our own state of Rhode Island for years, and is getting progressively worse.
According to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, the rate of food insecurity here is the highest out of all New England states, and has even exceeded the national average. It also stated that one in eight households, or 12.4 percent are considered "food insecure." For a household to be considered food insecure there must be an inability to obtain enough food for an active, healthy life for every household member.
Right now, Rhode Island's food insecurity rate is the highest it has been in years. What's even worse is that it's not even just unemployed families that are going hungry. According to the Food Bank, in 2006, one-third of all the families served had at least one working member.
So what is causing such a shortage of food to cover Rhode Island's hungry? While national food industry trends have proven to be a large factor in the deficiency of providing food, donations from Rhode Island's Food Bank have actually tripled during the past seven years. The Food Bank has added new programs during the past year, such as the Community Repack, Neighborhood Pantry Express and Fresh Rescue. Still, the contributions continue to prove insufficient to the rising amount of those in need of it.
I don't feel that the problem is that there's not enough food in the country, or even the state. Rather, I find that it is in the way food is distributed. Working at a restaurant in Newport for three years, I have seen all the food that constantly goes to waste. I am amazed at every dish of calamari or plate of spaghetti that I throw away each day.
People just don't realize what they're throwing away, and how much it may mean to someone. I've heard so many parents say to their children, "finish your dinner, there are starving kids in China," but what they may not realize is that there are starving families in their own state.
When you think of hunger, what comes to mind? Starving shoeless children in poor, far away countries? I imagine that would be a pretty common image among most people. What many people may not realize is that hunger is something that has actually been affecting our own state of Rhode Island for years, and is getting progressively worse.
According to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, the rate of food insecurity here is the highest out of all New England states, and has even exceeded the national average. It also stated that one in eight households, or 12.4 percent are considered "food insecure." For a household to be considered food insecure there must be an inability to obtain enough food for an active, healthy life for every household member.
Right now, Rhode Island's food insecurity rate is the highest it has been in years. What's even worse is that it's not even just unemployed families that are going hungry. According to the Food Bank, in 2006, one-third of all the families served had at least one working member.
So what is causing such a shortage of food to cover Rhode Island's hungry? While national food industry trends have proven to be a large factor in the deficiency of providing food, donations from Rhode Island's Food Bank have actually tripled during the past seven years. The Food Bank has added new programs during the past year, such as the Community Repack, Neighborhood Pantry Express and Fresh Rescue. Still, the contributions continue to prove insufficient to the rising amount of those in need of it.
I don't feel that the problem is that there's not enough food in the country, or even the state. Rather, I find that it is in the way food is distributed. Working at a restaurant in Newport for three years, I have seen all the food that constantly goes to waste. I am amazed at every dish of calamari or plate of spaghetti that I throw away each day.
People just don't realize what they're throwing away, and how much it may mean to someone. I've heard so many parents say to their children, "finish your dinner, there are starving kids in China," but what they may not realize is that there are starving families in their own state.
