Global food prices rose to a fresh high in December, according to the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO).
Its Food Price Index went above the previous record of 2008 that saw prices spark riots in several countries.
Soaring sugar, cereal and oil prices had driven the rise, the report said.
This will require both increasing nutrition and income support program participation under existing
essential strategies for ending childhood hunger by 2015, summarized here and explained in detail
Restore economic growth and create jobs with better wages for lower-income workers.
Raise the incomes of the lowest-income families.
Strengthen the SNAP/Food Stamp Program.
Strengthen the Child Nutrition Programs.
Engage the entire federal government in ending childhood hunger.
Work with states, localities and nonprofits to expand and improve participation in federal nutrition programs.
later in this paper: The steps are:
Make sure all families have convenient access to reasonably priced, healthy food.
From Food for the Hungry. This is an interactive PowerPoint program that lets you experience the kinds of life and death decisions that are made by people around the world who are living in poverty. Please go to Hungry Decisions to dowmload this resource to understand hunger and poverty.
Hunger’s real causes World population is not the reason for it—contrary to what some might believe. The real reason nearly one billion of the planet’s 6.7 billion people are undernourished is because of food-distribution problems, natural disasters, government policies, civil unrest, inequitable trade policies, lack of knowledge and greed.
Read more from the pdf file on Hunger at Hunger Resources.
The child nutrition bill that President Obama signed this morning includes an important new option that will allow thousands of schools in high-poverty areas to focus on feeding children rather than processing paperwork. This is a terrific opportunity for states to serve more low-income children through the school meals program.
Known as “community eligibility,” the option will allow schools or school districts where the vast majority of the students are poor enough to qualify for free or reduced-price meals to serve free breakfasts and lunches to all children. Families won’t have to complete applications providing detailed information on their income. And schools won’t have to process those applications or have a cashier figure out whether to provide a free or reduced-price meal every time a child goes through the lunch line.
Across Pennsylvania, with 12.5 percent of people living in poverty, state and federal support for food banks is waning. That has forced the Greater Pittsburgh food bank to dip into reserves to buy food. Next year, it will spend $1.1 million more on food than it did in 2006.
via Food pantries face tall task with more residents struggling – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Here are links to the votes on S.3307 Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 to fund the school lunch program and the procedural vote by the republicans which tried unsuccessfully to scuttle it.
Roll Call vote S3307 Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 motion to recommit by republicans (attempt to scuttle bill)
Roll Call vote passage of S3307 Healthy, Hunger-free Kids Act of 2010.
Here is an article from Politico about the attempt to scuttle the bill.
An article from Open Congress on the attempt to scuttle the bill.
This Christmas maybe those who voted against this bill need to watch this video.
After months of heated debate, the House of Representatives on Thursday approved a $4.5 billion child nutrition bill, a pet project of first lady Michelle Obama that survived both Democrats’ unrest about paying for the measure with cuts to the federal food stamp budget — and Republicans’ last-minute attempt to sidetrack it.
via House passes child nutrition bill – Abby Phillip – POLITICO.com.
A Great Day for Low-Income Families
It’s been a great afternoon here at Bread! We’re celebrating the news that Congress passed two pieces of legislation this afternoon that are really critical for low-income kids and families.
The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act will help more children get free and reduced-price meals at school.
The Middle Class Tax Relief Act will prevent 858,000 children, from falling into poverty.
“This is a victory for millions of working poor families and for American’s children,” said David Beckmann.The first is the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which will improve the quality of school lunches and help reduce the number of kids who go hungry. It now goes to President Obama for his signature.
The second is the Middle Class Tax Relief Act of 2010, which passed in the House and now goes to the Senate for consideration.
“To have worked so hard on these issues for the entire year, and to have both votes come up one after the other is amazing,” said Monica Mills, Bread’s director of government relations.”
Read the rest at the link below.
We Made Progress Against Hunger Yesterday
Yesterday should have been an encouraging day for anyone who is appalled by the scandalous condition of child hunger in the United States. Yesterday, Congress passed the Hunger Free Kids Act, aka Child Nutrition Reauthorization, and later in the day made critical changes to the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit that will help low-income families to put food on the table.
Read the rest.
Souper Bowl of Caring
Help us “score a touchdown” to end hunger here at home!
Over 19 years ago, a single prayer led a senior high youth group to a simple, yet powerful idea to fight hunger and poverty in their community.> The Souper Bowl of Caring calls youth groups, civic organizations and schools to make a difference in the lives of others through this simple movement of caring. This nationwide effort to touch lives, teach youth and fight hunger and poverty in local communities was led by over 11,000 organizations in 2006. This effort also generated over $5 million for hunger fighting charities across the country and the world!
Each year the Westmoreland County Food Bank (WCFB) struggles to assure that all members of our community who are hungry have the opportunity to receive food through the Food Bank’s network of emergency feeding organizations. We would like for you to consider participating in this year’s event and designate WCFB as your hunger fighting charity of choice. Our vision to end hunger in Westmoreland County, although simply stated, is a very powerful and challenging one. In order to serve the needs of hungry people in Westmoreland County, we acquire and distribute food in collaboration with a network of community agencies. Through this process, we are able to begin our fight to end hunger.
Please go to the link below to learn more.
Roger Thurow – Outrage and Inspire – “Historic Moment”
HISTORIC MOMENT
Bread for the World’s new Hunger Report raises the stakes right from its very first sentence:
“2011 is a time of opportunity to achieve lasting progress against global hunger and malnutrition.”
Then it raises them further:
“Feed the Future, a bold new U.S. initiative, may be the best opportunity to come along in decades for the United States to contribute to lasting progress against hunger and malnutrition.”
The message implied in these two sentences: We’ve arrived at an historic moment, let’s not squander it.
via Roger Thurow – Outrage and Inspire – “Historic Moment” – Global Food for Thought.
Though commendable, charity programs provide only a fraction of the food provided by federal programs such as school lunch and food stamps, cautions Bread for the World president David Beckmann.
“We can’t food-bank our way to the end of hunger,” said Beckmann, co-recipient of the 2010 World Food Prize. “Christian people need to change the politics of hunger as well.”
via Let People Shop | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction.
Click the link below to visit the hunger action center.
Facing Global Hunger: Food as a Right
Testimony of Robert Zachritz, World Vision director of advocacy and government relations, before the Tom Lantos Human Rights Caucus
To read the testimony click on the link below.
Washington, DC, November 22, 2010
A new report released today by Bread for the World Institute focuses on the global response to the rise in hunger as a result of the 2008 food price crisis. The report explores the role of the United States in mobilizing global commitments to increase investments in agriculture, food security, and nutrition in developing countries.
“The food price crisis was a wakeup call. It started a new global conversation about hunger, malnutrition, and food security,” said Asma Lateef, director of Bread for the World Institute. “Two years later, with U.S. leadership, there is a renewed focus on smallholder agriculture and reversing decades of neglect — just as we enter a new period of rising food prices.”
According to the new report, Our Common Interest: Ending Hunger and Malnutrition—Hunger 2011, achieving lasting progress against global hunger and malnutrition is possible. The report examines events that led to the establishment of Feed the Future, a bold initiative from the U.S. government, and its potential to dramatically reduce global hunger and malnutrition.
Click on link below to read the rest.
An excellent resource for hunger education.
Food for the Hungry’s excellent podcast has an episode on Surviving an Economic Downturn which focuses on tips learned from people who live on 2 dollars a day.
There is a link to an article Rooftop & Urban Gardening by Echo. It includes a link to a 90 minute narrated slideshow on rooftop and urban gardening. (Note this is a large download and requires Adobe 9 to watch.)
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