HungerNetOhio #7.10: Spread the Table; Share the Love

Email conversations about "ending hunger in Ohio through changing conditions which cause poverty"

Just create that space and allow the banter around the dinner table to commence.  You needn't--but would do well--to include that person in your conversation: You might ask him/er about s/he his/er family.  You could query what are the conditions out there that prevent families, not unlike your guest, from enjoying the “fruits of their labors.”

But don't force the talk, just be friendly and let it flow.  You could even open yourself to her/is inquiries about you.  But be prepared: your predictably uncomfortable and discomforting visitor will surely be interested in you and how you live.

Whether or not you expose yourself and family to this fantasy venture, here are some likely tummy-twisting facts and figures to chew on this day-maybe best delayed until after dessert.

Hunger in Ohio

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Economic Research Service reported just last week that 14.8 percent, (679,172) or more than one in seven of Ohio households are facing a daily risk of hunger, or “food insecurity.” Ohio is tied at 9th in the nation for states with the highest rates of food insecurity, above comparably populous states like California, Florida, and New York. Ohio's rate is above the national average of food insecurity, which rests at 14.7 percent.

Food insecurity, as defined by the “USDA's Household Food Security in the United States, 2009,” remained essentially unchanged from 2008 to 2009 across the nation, but Ohio's food insecurity rose significantly. Over the past year, food insecurity in Ohio households rose from 13.3 percent to 14.8 percent; more than 71,000 additional Ohio households now struggle to keep an adequate amount of food on the table.

The study also reviewed and collected information about rates of very low food security, when households at-risk of hunger cut back on the amount of food, number of meals and other indicators because they lacked the money and other resources for food. In Ohio, 6.1 percent of households were categorized as having very low food security, significantly above the national average of 5.2 percent.

Fighting Hunger in Ohio

For Ohio's emergency food network, these statistics do not come as a surprise. “Food is a basic human need, yet increasing numbers of Ohioans are faced with tough decisions each and every day that affect their ability to put enough food on the table and meet their and their family's nutritional needs,” stated Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, executive director of the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks. “These families are standing at our doors. During the last quarter alone, over 1.9 million Ohioans visited a food pantry. From state fiscal year 2007 to state fiscal year 2010, demand at food pantries alone increased by 68.6 percent.”

Tough Choices

In Hunger in Ohio 2010, a study conducted by Mathematica Policy Institute, Inc., in conjunction with Feeding America (confirmed by the USDA) found that of those served by Ohio's emergency food network:

•   52 percent are choosing between buying food and paying for utilities

•   43 percent are choosing between buying food and paying for rent or mortgage

•    42 percent are choosing between buying food and paying for medicine or medical care

Hunger in America

Coinciding with this alarming data are just a few of the statistics from USDA's Household Food Security in the United States, 2009, which confirms that hunger and poverty are still increasing. In 2009:

·         16.6 percent of Americans lived in food insecure households

·         14.7 percent of American households were food insecure

·         21.3 percent of American households with children were living in food insecure households

·         23.2 percent of American children were living in food insecure households

·         7.5 percent of American households with seniors were living in food insecure homes

·         7.8 percent of seniors living alone were living in food insecure households

What More Can I Do?

Why not calculate the overall cost of the meal divided by the nose count at your table (plus one!)? Taking the expense of that extra guest alone, contribute it to your church, local food pantry, favorite charity or preferred anti-hunger initiative.  That's easy to do and won't break even your food budget.  But it might serve to remind you and your other guest after Thanksgiving to consider regularly adding--whether real or symbolically--another seat, if not an extra leaf, to your dinner table.

About the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks (OASHF):

OASHF is Ohio's largest charitable response to hunger, representing Ohio's 12 Feeding America/Second Harvest foodbanks and 3,000 member charities including food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters. OASHF and its network of providers distributed more than 135 million pounds of food and grocery items. OASHF also served as the lead agencies for the Ohio Benefit Bank, an Internet-based, application assistance program which breaks down barriers and helps simplify the application process for work support programs and tax credits.

To learn more the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks visit www.oashf.org or call 614/221-4336