This I Argue Essay
Hunger in America
Envision yourself falling asleep with a rumbling stomach, or knowing you cannot provide enough food for your children. “A Place at the Table”, a documentary about the hunger issues in the United States. According to the film, about 50 million people in American are starving. The documentary shows the struggles three families face with hunger issues. The problem America is facing due to it's hunger issues is made of many components but those most important being the food insecurity some families face, food assistance programs, and the fine line between starvation and obesity.
Food insecurity is defined as “the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.” As Americans, when we think of food insecurity we think of poor countries and with malnourished children. When in fact, we face these problems in our own backyards. “A Place at the Table” tells the story of two families struggling with food insecurity. First, we are introduced to Rosie who is a fifth grader. Rosie explains the hunger she faces on a daily basis and how on occasion she imagines her classmates and teachers as fruits. Rosies' family is unable to afford much food, and that of which they can afford is processed, unhealthy foods. And although Rosies' family partakes in a food assistance program where Rosies' teacher, Leslie, delivers bags of food to their home. We tend to overlook the fact that many communities in our country face troubles accessing healthy and affordable food for their families. As stated by the documentary “the United States ranks worse among the IMF's Advanced Economy countries on food security.” (A Place at the Table). Charities have become a huge part in helping those in need, but a charity can only do so much, and help for so long. As a country, we need to take a stand and provide the proper help for these families.
Barbie, a single mother of two living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania explains the struggles she faces feeding her children with the help of a food assistance program called SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). She explains how difficult it was for her to qualify for SNAP to provide food for her children. Because she made a single dollar above the cut off line, she was denied assistance. She shows how emotional it was to wonder how her children were going to eat that night. When she did qualify for SNAP, she travels over sixty miles one way to the grocery store so she can purchase the best food she can for her children. One out of every two children in the United States will have the aid of a federal food assistance program (A Place at the Table). In the United States, we think of starving children to be malnourished, under weight, all skin and bones. But who gets to classify what is hunger and what is not? Our country has slightly recognized this when President Obama signed the bill “The Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act”. This bill created a six cent increase per meal over the span of ten years that would amount to 4.5 billion dollars. But this increase in school meals, took away from the food assistance programs.
Obesity and hunger share a very thin line. When thinking about obesity we think of over weight people who eat more food then they should. But in reality of it all, those who suffer from obesity, are filling their bodies with processed, unhealthy foods. Since 1980 the price of healthy foods have risen 40%, and the prices of processed, unhealthy foods have decreased 40% (A Place at the Table). This price change has forced families that have limited amount of resources for food to but foods that are cheaper, which leads to more processed and unhealthy foods. We meet a little girl, Tremonica in “A Place at the Table” who is a second grader that suffers from asthma and health issues due to her weight. Tremonica lives in the Mississippi Delta which is known for being a food dessert. Food that is widely available to her family is mainly processed food. And when Tremonicas mother goes food shopping, she is looking to get the most for her money so she can feel secure in feeding her child every night. Hunger on the other hand, is left to no one persons decision. Tremonica may be eating every night, but her body is not absorbing the right nutrients and vitamins for her to lead a healthy lifestyle.
The United States needs to open its eyes and focus on the issues that we deal with on our own land. We are neglecting children to become the next great generation just by simply denying them access to healthy and affordable food. We need to take a stand against hunger and improve the younger generations because they are the future of our world.
Food insecurity is defined as “the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.” As Americans, when we think of food insecurity we think of poor countries and with malnourished children. When in fact, we face these problems in our own backyards. “A Place at the Table” tells the story of two families struggling with food insecurity. First, we are introduced to Rosie who is a fifth grader. Rosie explains the hunger she faces on a daily basis and how on occasion she imagines her classmates and teachers as fruits. Rosies' family is unable to afford much food, and that of which they can afford is processed, unhealthy foods. And although Rosies' family partakes in a food assistance program where Rosies' teacher, Leslie, delivers bags of food to their home. We tend to overlook the fact that many communities in our country face troubles accessing healthy and affordable food for their families. As stated by the documentary “the United States ranks worse among the IMF's Advanced Economy countries on food security.” (A Place at the Table). Charities have become a huge part in helping those in need, but a charity can only do so much, and help for so long. As a country, we need to take a stand and provide the proper help for these families.
Barbie, a single mother of two living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania explains the struggles she faces feeding her children with the help of a food assistance program called SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). She explains how difficult it was for her to qualify for SNAP to provide food for her children. Because she made a single dollar above the cut off line, she was denied assistance. She shows how emotional it was to wonder how her children were going to eat that night. When she did qualify for SNAP, she travels over sixty miles one way to the grocery store so she can purchase the best food she can for her children. One out of every two children in the United States will have the aid of a federal food assistance program (A Place at the Table). In the United States, we think of starving children to be malnourished, under weight, all skin and bones. But who gets to classify what is hunger and what is not? Our country has slightly recognized this when President Obama signed the bill “The Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act”. This bill created a six cent increase per meal over the span of ten years that would amount to 4.5 billion dollars. But this increase in school meals, took away from the food assistance programs.
Obesity and hunger share a very thin line. When thinking about obesity we think of over weight people who eat more food then they should. But in reality of it all, those who suffer from obesity, are filling their bodies with processed, unhealthy foods. Since 1980 the price of healthy foods have risen 40%, and the prices of processed, unhealthy foods have decreased 40% (A Place at the Table). This price change has forced families that have limited amount of resources for food to but foods that are cheaper, which leads to more processed and unhealthy foods. We meet a little girl, Tremonica in “A Place at the Table” who is a second grader that suffers from asthma and health issues due to her weight. Tremonica lives in the Mississippi Delta which is known for being a food dessert. Food that is widely available to her family is mainly processed food. And when Tremonicas mother goes food shopping, she is looking to get the most for her money so she can feel secure in feeding her child every night. Hunger on the other hand, is left to no one persons decision. Tremonica may be eating every night, but her body is not absorbing the right nutrients and vitamins for her to lead a healthy lifestyle.
The United States needs to open its eyes and focus on the issues that we deal with on our own land. We are neglecting children to become the next great generation just by simply denying them access to healthy and affordable food. We need to take a stand against hunger and improve the younger generations because they are the future of our world.