Ch. 2 and 3 of "Sweet Charity" by Janet Poppendieck
Women, minorities, children, and the elderly are the most likely demographics to use food programs because of their higher proportions among people in poverty. The current way of labeling people as poor or below the poverty line has become obsolete because of the many rising costs and a lower portion of total income being spent on food. People who food programs do so for many reasons. Many had recently become unemployed, were unemployed long term, or were currently working, but just couldn't earn enough to provide a nutritionally adequate diet. Food pantries were originally set up to help workers after factories closed. Food stamps were an attempt to close the gaps in income and food needs. Public assistance is another source of aid for those under the poverty level. All of these programs have their flaws. Many people convert their food stamps into money (by buying something with food stamps and returning it for cash). Many of the people in need of assistance are ineligible or don't receive it from food pantries or public assistance. Some of those that do receive the assistance get an inadequate amount. Food is an expense more easily modified than others and many people are more concerned with problems that they consider a higher priority. However, in the end, everyone needs food.
For most people, food has always been available, and they assume it always will be available. A lot of people are used to going straight to the kitchen for something to eat when they are hungry, or quickly stopping by a fast food restaurant or convenience store without giving it a second thought. Can you imagine being hungry and knowing that there is no food in the kitchen and you don't have the money to go buy any? I wrestled in high school, so there were periods of time where I would eat very little in order to make weight. Being hungry is extremely uncomfortable, but at least I always had the option of going to get something to eat if I really needed to. It doesn't matter how tough someone is, everyone needs food. What would you have for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on a budget of $1.19 for each meal?
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Is the assumption that food is always going to be available one of the reasons for this crisis? I feel that if more people understood how to eat healthy and prepare meals we would have a greater appreciation and thus be more conscious of our food purchasing decisions. A little planning and budgeting can go a long way if you're grocery shopping on a limited budget. All the programs do have flaws, but an education component would go far to make them much more effective.
ReplyDeleteI agree, it would be helpful to educate people on how to make the most of their food buying dollars, especially if they are being funded by the government for one reason or another. It's sad to see people wasting their limited money on foods that they would be better off not eating at all.
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