The children going hungry in America

[Jazzy]

Child poverty in the US has reached record levels, with almost 17 million children now affected. A growing number are also going hungry on a daily basis.



Food is never far from the thoughts of 10-year-old Kaylie Haywood and her older brother Tyler, 12.

At a food bank in Stockton, Iowa, they are arguing with their mother over the 15 items they are allowed to take with them. There is little money to go shopping for extras.



Apple sauce is in, canned vegetables, tinned spaghetti, meatballs and ravioli might be.



But when Kaylie asks for ground beef, she is overruled as their motel room does not have a fridge to keep things fresh - just a sink filled with crushed ice. There's nowhere to cook, either.



It's not the first time that the family has struggled to get hold of the food they would like - or enough of it.



We don't get three meals a day like breakfast, lunch and then dinner, says Kaylie. When I feel hungry I feel sad and droopy.

Full article with video



How sad is this? The U.S. spends billions of money to help feed children in other countries. Yet, we have children starving right in our own backyard.

 

[seasidemike]

good question.



Did you look at the video in the Viral section about the distribution of wealth in the USA?

 

[Jazzy]

Did you look at the video in the Viral section about the distribution of wealth in the USA?

Didn't see that video. There is no distribution of wealth in the USA. They have managed to wipe out the middle class. What's left? You're either rich or poor.

 

[Evil Eye]

How can those people live like that? As in, how come they're allowed to live like that? I thought you guys had a welfare system...

 

[Jazzy]

How can those people live like that? As in, how come they're allowed to live like that? I thought you guys had a welfare system...

It's not enough as you can see from the article:

[font=Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif]

Kaylie and Tyler live with their mother Barbara, who used to work in a factory. After losing her job, she was entitled to unemployment benefit and food stamps - this comes to $1,480 (£974) a month.

[font=Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif]Rent on the motel room is around $700 (£460) a month, but trying to balance the budget has meant sacrifices.

 

[Evil Eye]

I really imagined it would take things like proper housing into account.

*starts looking up local stuff.*

Err, it's bit of a mess of things I don't know too much about, but if I'm getting this right, it might be something like €5000 / month.

 

[Fatal Dawn]

Inequality seems like a good word for it. As, even in a country like ours, the problem is not that there are not enough resources to go around, it's where they land.



Do you truly believe the U.S. is devoid of food pantries and charity shops designed to help those in our own cities and states? You are looking at a problem as elusive as world peace. Consider not that those charities are not doing enough. Regardless of how much change you want to dish out and wish it weren't so, inequality is part of the human condition.

 

[seasidemike]

Inequality seems like a good word for it. As, even in a country like ours, the problem is not that there are not enough resources to go around, it's where they land.



Do you truly believe the U.S. is devoid of food pantries and charity shops designed to help those in our own cities and states? You are looking at a problem as elusive as world peace. Consider not that those charities are not doing enough. Regardless of how much change you want to dish out and wish it weren't so, inequality is part of the human condition.

True, but remember

it was inequality that lead to:

The American revolution

The French revolution

The Russian revolution

and pretty much any other revolution you can think of.



Revolutions are not started by the poor, there have always been poor. revolutions have always been started by the educated working class who were being forced into poverty by inequality.

 

[Evil Eye]

inequality is part of the human condition.

Obviously. But surely they can do better than this.