The Agriculture Department has reported that 700,000 American
children went hungry in 2007, up from 430,000 in 2006. Since this sharp
increase in the number of kids who are not getting enough to eat came before
the economic crisis, it’s very likely that 2008 will be an even more difficult
year for children in lower income families.
As if the president-elect didn’t have enough world crises to
combat, these new figures make Obama’s promise to expand food aid and end
childhood hunger by 2015 even more important—and more daunting.
Among those families suffering from “food insecurity” (i.e., the inability
to afford or get assistance for enough food to maintain a healthy lifestyle),
the hardest hit were—in descending order—those living below the poverty line,
single mothers, African American households, and Latino households.
Overall, 12.2 percent of Americans didn't have enough to
eat in 2007.
Photo: Total Broadcasting
