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Pablo Carranza

Jason Peters

ENGL 133

November 20th, 2017

Hunger Crisis

Many people in the United States suffer from hunger. According to the organization

named Feeding America, 42.2 million Americans live in food insecure households. What really

shocked me about this fact was that of the 42.2 million, 13.1 million were young children under

the age of 18. I didnt know that the food crisis in the United States was that bad. In an article

posted by National Geographic Magazine, I found out that in 2010 the Los Angeles County was

the highest participant in SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as

Food Stamps) with over 900,000 recipients. I was really impacted on the fact that I didnt fully

realize how food insecure my community is. I also learned from Feeding America that one in six

people are a part of the hunger crisis. This can cause anorexia, type two diabetes, obesity, and

other terrible health diseases to occur. Most children may also suffer from weaker bodies or

even stunting due to not being able to get enough nutrients from what they eat. Not being well

nourished can cause unproductiveness and/or lack well-being and even if it is severe enough it

can cause mental retardation. Pregnant women who suffer from malnourishment around the

world give birth to smaller babies, get sick more often, die at a younger age, and in most areas,

that have chronic hunger rates, infant mortality rates are also very high.
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According to Rachel Novotny, stunting is the most common consequence of

malnutrition. It is equally common in lower and middle-class families across the country.

Children that are affected by stunting are at an increased risk of obesity in their adolescence

and adulthood. This is the result of impaired fat oxidation in high-fat diets.

There are many food banks set up in various cities across the United States that were

implemented to provide food for the homeless and the less fortunate. People can support

these food banks by donating money, their time (volunteering), and by donating canned goods

or other various foods that can be sent to hungry people across the country. I found five food

banks that were near my area. Four of them were just normal food banks, the other was a

church that hosts food drives regularly and was a contributor to local families in need. Out of

the five places I researched the one that stood out the most was the L.A. Regional Food Bank.

This place had the best overall ratings on google and its facilities look very clean. While on their

website I found out that they have been hard at work, to do their part for the estimated 1.4

million people in need for the Los Angeles County, for 43 years.

Malnutrition in Americas youth like a problem that should be resolved and should be a

high priority. Some people argue the opposite, for example there are people against food

stamps. The argument is that food stamps should be cut because it limits the amount of healthy

choices a family can make when shopping at their local grocery store. In other words, families

can only choose the cheapest food options due to their finite amount of resources (food stamp

value) and therefore pick the unhealthy cheap food instead of the healthy and more expensive

organic food. Although the food being purchased using food stamps may not be healthy, at
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least families are receiving the opportunity to purchase food which is the entire purpose of the

SNAP program.

One way that we can help resolve this issue is by opening more food banks near poverty

stricken communities. Another idea I came up with is making healthy food more affordable

than fast food. That can be tricky but Im sure that in some way or form it can be done.

During my research, I learned that the donation of food to the needy is a vital part of

their nutrition. This was more than just a learning experience, it has made me want to become

more involved with the necessities of my beloved community, and America. The twenty first

century has more than a handful of problems for us millennials, and hunger is quite possibly

going to be the biggest one that were going to have to solve. I am sure that with everyone

doing their part and with more government assistance hunger in America will become an issue

of the past, and America will be great again.

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Citations

"Lessons from the Food Stamp Program." Vouchers and the Provision of Public Services.

Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution, 2010. 119. Web.

Biesalski, Hans K, and Robert E. Black. Hidden Hunger: Malnutrition and the First 1,000 Days of

Life : Causes, Consequences, and Solutions. , 2016. Internet resource.

Guerrieri, R., C. Nederkoorn, and A. Jansen. "The Interaction between Impulsivity and a Varied

Food Environment: Its Influence on Food Intake and Overweight." International Journal of

Obesity (2005) 32.4 (2008): 708-14. Web.

Novotny, R., Li, F., Leon Guerrero, R. et al. BMC Public Health (2017) 17: 483.

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-017-4377-6

"10 Ways to Stop World Hunger." The Borgen Project. N.p., 21 Mar. 2017. Web.

"Know Your World: Facts About World Hunger & Poverty." The Hunger Project. N.p., n.d. Web.

"World Hunger Facts." Freedom from Hunger. N.p., 19 Feb. 2013. Web.

Hunger and Poverty Facts and Statistics. Feeding America N.p., n.d. Web.

The New Face Of Hunger. GeograNationalphic Magazine Tracie McMillan. N.d. Web.
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