A Billion Hungry People

Why is it we live in a world with hungry people when so many of us have food in abundance? This time of year you cannot help but to notice articles like, More Households Request Food Aid, Sharing the Privilege of Abundance or the World The World Food Programme’s campaign—A Billion for a Billion—addressing the fact that for the first time in human history, the number of people hungry worldwide will exceed one billion.

That is one billion people who are hungry and why? Of the one billion, the US alone has 17 million households reporting some degree of food insecurity in 2008, according to the USDA’s annual poll. How could the wealthiest country in the world have hungry people? Not only that, but I live in one of the wealthiest counties in the US (Teton County, Wyo.), who has its own hungry residents.

I don’t think anyone can say they wish for people to be hungry, let alone that hunger to cause developmental issues in children. Although I don’t know what the solution needs to be, this giving season, “Do Something” and join the A Billion for a Billion cause and help make a difference.

—Latham