American Starvation

     All my life I have been able to enjoy three solid meals and at least one snack a day. Of course I learned as a child that people from Haiti or Africa never had much food, but never did I realize that people in my own country – even my own city – were starving. Why? America is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, yet millions of people go hungry on a daily basis. Aren’t there food banks and shelters to help? I know for a fact there are shelters. However, many are deprived of sufficient amounts of food due to the rising number of starving people. Grocery stores and thriving families are the key to aiding these organizations in fighting hunger in the U.S.

     Firstly, food banks and shelters are undeniably important to the hungry people of America. Without their aid, millions of people would starve every year. “According to USDA 2008 statistics: Of the 49.1 million people living in food insecure households (up from 36.2 million in 2007), 32.4 million are adults (14.4% of all adults) and 16.7 million are children (22.5% of all children). 17.3 million people lived in households that were considered to have very low food security” (Woodgate). Food security is a term used by the USDA to distinguish a household in which one or more residents were hungry over the course of a year (Woodgate). Food banks generally serve those who have been laid off from their jobs and are struggling with finding other jobs. Local churches and organizations help these shelters by volunteering to distribute food as well as other things like clothing and cosmetic items. One shelter I have volunteered at is the Trinity Rescue Mission (TRM) located in downtown Jacksonville. While I was there, I saw countless needy people roaming around. The TRM does its best to help those who direly need it.

     In 1996, The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act was signed into practice by President Bill Clinton. This act legally protects the “food donors from civil and criminal liability, should the product later cause harm to the recipient” (Food Donation Connection). It specifically protects individuals as well as non-profit organizations that administer food in “good faith” (Food Donation Connection). The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act was put into practice because the United States of America was sending nearly 14 billion pounds of food to landfills yearly while over 30 million Americans were starving (Food Donation Connection). The act applies to all “food and grocery products that meet all quality and labeling standards imposed by federal, state, and local laws and regulations even the food may not be ‘readily marketable due to appearance, age, freshness, grade, size, surplus, or other conditions’” (Food Donation Connection). With this act put into law, why are grocery stores and supermarkets not donating all the food they don’t want on their shelves?

     Grocery stores stock over fifteen thousand food items, and supermarkets keep over twenty-five thousand different products in stock (Arumugam). It has to be impossible to sell every item by the date while keeping everything fully stocked. So, why do produce items and meat and other products get discarded so easily? Of course some items may be past the “expiration date,” but those generally do not mean the food is not consumable if it’s only a few days past the date. Some grocery stores take the almost expired food and use it to make the dishes on their salad bar or something similar. Many stores are reluctant to freely giving away almost or  recently expired food in fear that the consumer may get sick and take legal action. However, despite their fears, The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act protects them from any legal troubles.

     In conclusion, the growth of hunger in the United States of America is a real, growing problem. Without food banks and shelters volunteering time and effort, the issue would be far worst. Nevertheless, if there is no income of food, there will be no output into the community. Grocery stores and individuals that are better off are needed to assist these non-profit organizations. What can you do to raise awareness and help the cause to fight starvation in America?