In a nation that is so prosperous and wealthy, you may be asking yourself, Is hunger really an issue here? Sadly, the answer is yes. According to the National Anti-Hunger Organization, A Blueprint to End Hunger: June 3, 2004, each year nearly 35 million Americans are threatened by hunger, including 13 million children, and there are many different reasons why.

• Jobs- Although there are jobs available, many times they are not living-wage jobs. Food is often one of the first things that can be cut out of a family's expenses. As found in the Working Poor Families Project, Working Hard, Falling Short. America's Working Families and the Pursuit of Economic Security: October 2004, twenty percent of American jobs pay less than $8.84 an hour, a poverty-level wage for a family of four.





• Health care- As reported in the National Anti-Hunger Organizations, A Blueprint to End Hunger: June 2004, only 7% of poor people are able to purchase private health insurance outside the workplace, leaving more than 40 million men, women and children uninsured. Single parents and elderly are hit especially hard.





• Inadequate affordable housing- Also reported in the National Anti-Hunger Organizations, A Blueprint to End Hunger: June 2004, only one in four eligible low-income renters received rental assistance, and more than half of poor renters spend 50 percent or more of their earnings on housing.