Hunger In the Land of Plenty

The United States is booming. Consumers are spending, SUVs rule the road and even the government has more money than it expected. It's the 1990s, and this is what the American Dream looks like.

That is, unless you are one of more than 36 million children and adults struggling with hunger. A new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Census Bureau,Household Food Security in the United States, 1995-1998, finds that slightly more than 10 percent of all households in this country are suffering from hunger or living close to it. Families with children are more than twice as likely as other households to experience "food insecurity," meaning that at best they lack access to adequate nutrition, and at worst they have skipped meals and report feeling hungry or losing weight because of inadequate food access in the past year.

According to USDA's press release, the survey finds "virtually no change in the prevalence of food insecurity" since 1995. But the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) finds some surprising changes in the short term.

FRAC notes that the numbers of children suffering from food insecurity and hunger were lower in 1997—down more than 2.5 million from 1996—but that they jumped from 10.4 million kids in 1997 to over 14 million in 1998. The number of adults rose from 15.8 to 22.2 million in the same year.

So what caused the brief improvement in 1997? And why, in the midst of such prosperity, are the numbers of Americans living in or on the edge of hunger rising?

The answers, says FRAC president James D. Weill, may lie at least partially in food stamp availability and the ways states are phasing in welfare reform. "The best explanation to me—and it is clearly an important part of the reason if not the whole reason—is that is that when the survey was taken in April 1997, the economy was in the fourth or fifth year of growth. And while welfare reform had passed Congress and was signed by President Clinton, major parts of it had not yet been implemented. ... The difference between 1997 and 1998 is that by 1998 the welfare cuts were more fully realized. The hunger numbers are evidence that something is seriously problematic with our economy for the poorest third of Americans, and with the welfare law and its implementation."

"The points that are important to us are not inconsistent with the USDA findings. The USDA certainly agrees that in a country as rich as this, it's appalling to have the levels of hunger that these data show. It's extraordinary that in the 6th year of economic recovery, hunger and food insecurity jumped back up by millions of kids and adults," says Weill.

In 1998, most states were struggling to comply with the 1996 welfare reform act's many changes. And for many, this meant confusion. Some areas, like New York City, have been accused of deliberately withholding food stamps and other critical benefits from eligible adults and families. The tough screening process developed by Mayor Giuliani's administration led to a recently settled 1999 lawsuit brought by a coalition of legal services and advocacy groups for the poor.

In most states, says Weill, the denial of benefits is "much less purposeful. The bureaucracy has not made a transition from a world where families got food stamps and Medicaid as incidents of cash welfare, to one where poor working families being diverted from cash assistance need food stamps and Medicaid to make a go of it." According to the 1996 reform, even families no longer eligible for direct cash welfare often qualify for food stamps and other critical benefit programs. Yet there is still likely to be confusion about who is eligible and how to get the information out to the public.

The recent jump in food insecurity, says Weill, may not be turned around even if the economy keeps growing. Not until we reverse the sharp decline in food stamp participation among eligible families and start paying workers a living wage will we see a leveling or decrease in the numbers of families suffering from hunger.

But it doesn't have to continue, according to Weill. The new TANF laws do not endanger children or families by design. "Hunger is a very large social problem with a pretty simple, straightforward answer, and one that we can afford."

And the answer, at least in the short term, is raising wages and fixing food stamp programs. The steep declines in participation can be remedied, and efforts are underway to do so. In March 1999, USDA Secretary Dan Glickman announced a new outreach program to help increase awareness and curb decline. And the day the USDA study was released, President Clinton announced the launch of a food stamp initiative that will make food stamps more available, especially to poor working families, and get information out to improve public participation.

What Can You Do?
In a word, plenty.

• Volunteer. Visit Impact Online and the Connect for Kids State Pages for the nearest shelter, food bank or other ways to make difference.

  Visit the Second Harvest or FoodChain Web sites for information on how to volunteer and contribute, and links to local affiliates.

• Get involved. Learn about hunger in your hometown. From writing a letter to your local newspaper to inviting an anti-hunger professional to a community meeting, FRAC's Campaign to End Childhood Hunger has ideas on how you can get started and get involved.

  Read the FRAC Outreach report for more ideas.