“Feel what it's like to truly starve, and I guarantee that you'll forever think twice before wasting food.” –Criss Jami. One of the saddest things in life is knowing that you are not able to feed your child because you lack resources or because the country you live in has horrible wages. Seeing children have to dig through garbage or ask for food on the street is very heart breaking. More than 1 billion people are hungry in the world. Most of those hungry people are children in the United States. Child hunger is not only a local problem but also a global problem because food is one of the most basic needs yet many children lack the proper access which then leads to starvation and death.
Many of the children in the United States do not have the resources to get enough food to eat. According to O’Connor James February 2010 Census in 2008 it was reported that 16.7 million children lived in food insecure households. This is important because Americans in general waste 40 percent of their food everyday while there are children who are hungry. The consequences of child hunger are immense: children can experience higher levels of chronic illness, anxiety and depression. They can also face slower growth and inhibited brain development, headaches, cold ear infections and fatigue and the list goes on. There are so many things going on in a developing child but without food or any substance that can provide the nutrients their bodies’ need it is impossible for them to grow up strong and healthy. Not having food makes them not be prepared physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially for the work force. It complicates life for them as they grow up. Then that lowers their possibility to find jobs or to progress in life.
The United States plays a role in how much food is being wasted. Starting with schools and the amount of food that is wasted is immense. Schools are one of the only places in which some students are able to eat food throughout the whole day, but they are also the places that waste the most amount of food. There is 114,044 tons is wasted in America. "Stop the Hunger - World Hunger Statistics Updated in Real Time." Stop the Hunger. Web. 26 Mar. 2012. http://www.stopthehunger.com/. Out of the seven billion people in the world approximately twenty-six thousand die a day. It is extremely incredible that of all of the food that is being wasted in the United States can be used to feed anyone else in the world. There is 41,050,000 dollars spent on food for pets. It would only take $31 million dollars to feed all who are hungry. People invest more money on their pets than they do in donating money to organizations that help the people who are hungry like “Feed The Children." They try to help children not only in the United States but all around the world, and with a simple donation one child can have a decent meal for a day.
One of the reasons believed why there is so much food waste in present years is because there isn’t much farming taking place anymore. All the food that is consumed is bought from a store where the person can just pick and choose from any on display. “In the old days, many people had their own family farms, and they understood the very real volatility involved with farming -- and, thus, quite a bit more about the real value of food. Today, however, most people have no idea where their food comes from, and since many of the staple crops used in food production are government subsidized, much of the food sold in stores is artificially inexpensive, which means people have less qualms about wasting it”. "Daily Amount of Food Waste in America Enough to Fill a Football Stadium." Natural Health News. Web. 26 Mar. 2012. http://www.naturalnews.com/033885_food_waste_America.html. This seems very true most people are carless and food is just a substance that they don’t care if it goes to waste because they know by the next day there will be more to fill their stomachs.
People should really learn to appreciate the food that is given to them. Many people work double jobs just to place a good meal for their families to eat. But others who have an easy job don’t seem to appreciate what they have unless they had a tough life while growing up. Lessons need to be learned because many children are starving and others don’t care. People need to stay aware of the situation and try to find a solution to it. Living in the United States does not guarantee anyone a better life any more. So many starving and living in the land of opportunity is not the way it should be. Child hunger is a major problem because many children are lead to starvation because of the lack of resources in their society. Every child should receive their basic needs.
Many of the children in the United States do not have the resources to get enough food to eat. According to O’Connor James February 2010 Census in 2008 it was reported that 16.7 million children lived in food insecure households. This is important because Americans in general waste 40 percent of their food everyday while there are children who are hungry. The consequences of child hunger are immense: children can experience higher levels of chronic illness, anxiety and depression. They can also face slower growth and inhibited brain development, headaches, cold ear infections and fatigue and the list goes on. There are so many things going on in a developing child but without food or any substance that can provide the nutrients their bodies’ need it is impossible for them to grow up strong and healthy. Not having food makes them not be prepared physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially for the work force. It complicates life for them as they grow up. Then that lowers their possibility to find jobs or to progress in life.
The United States plays a role in how much food is being wasted. Starting with schools and the amount of food that is wasted is immense. Schools are one of the only places in which some students are able to eat food throughout the whole day, but they are also the places that waste the most amount of food. There is 114,044 tons is wasted in America. "Stop the Hunger - World Hunger Statistics Updated in Real Time." Stop the Hunger. Web. 26 Mar. 2012. http://www.stopthehunger.com/. Out of the seven billion people in the world approximately twenty-six thousand die a day. It is extremely incredible that of all of the food that is being wasted in the United States can be used to feed anyone else in the world. There is 41,050,000 dollars spent on food for pets. It would only take $31 million dollars to feed all who are hungry. People invest more money on their pets than they do in donating money to organizations that help the people who are hungry like “Feed The Children." They try to help children not only in the United States but all around the world, and with a simple donation one child can have a decent meal for a day.
One of the reasons believed why there is so much food waste in present years is because there isn’t much farming taking place anymore. All the food that is consumed is bought from a store where the person can just pick and choose from any on display. “In the old days, many people had their own family farms, and they understood the very real volatility involved with farming -- and, thus, quite a bit more about the real value of food. Today, however, most people have no idea where their food comes from, and since many of the staple crops used in food production are government subsidized, much of the food sold in stores is artificially inexpensive, which means people have less qualms about wasting it”. "Daily Amount of Food Waste in America Enough to Fill a Football Stadium." Natural Health News. Web. 26 Mar. 2012. http://www.naturalnews.com/033885_food_waste_America.html. This seems very true most people are carless and food is just a substance that they don’t care if it goes to waste because they know by the next day there will be more to fill their stomachs.
People should really learn to appreciate the food that is given to them. Many people work double jobs just to place a good meal for their families to eat. But others who have an easy job don’t seem to appreciate what they have unless they had a tough life while growing up. Lessons need to be learned because many children are starving and others don’t care. People need to stay aware of the situation and try to find a solution to it. Living in the United States does not guarantee anyone a better life any more. So many starving and living in the land of opportunity is not the way it should be. Child hunger is a major problem because many children are lead to starvation because of the lack of resources in their society. Every child should receive their basic needs.