Hungry American Families

Hunger isn't just a "Third World Problem." It's here, all around us. Second Harvest is running out of food locally (in the greater Milwaukee area) and nationally, and contributions aren't keeping up with the demand, which is getting larger every day, far outstripping their capacity to provide what hungry families need. Children are going hungry - maybe children in your neighborhood - kids you would never dream in a million years their families couldn't afford to buy enough groceries to feed them... But - have you noticed - their second car disappeared from the driveway? Harry and Sue look a little thin these days - they claim it's because they're following "The Biggest Loser" on the television? They turn down invitations to the neighborhood monthly pot-lucks after the last time, some months ago, when Sue showed up with a not too tasty tuna casserole instead of her signature Angus Beef Burgers? Harry has taken a second job at a local super market doing the 12 to 4 a.m. shift stocking shelves. Sue has taken over the health insurance for the family at her secretarial job because Harry's company, where he's worked for 18 years, eliminated all of those benefits, claiming the expense was just too great and it was either stay in business or provide health insurance and benefits for the employees and go bust. Yet, the boss and his sons and daughters-in-law are still driving their Mercedes and SUVs while claiming dire poverty. Sue elected the highest deductible health insurance plan available through her employer, but it's still costing $650 a month. That's a big chunk out of her gross salary of $45,000 (she nets about two-thirds of that after deductions for federal and state income taxes, Social Security taxes and Medicare taxes. This does not, of course, include deductions for the cost of Sue's family plan health insurance coverage and the monthly bus pass she buys, since Harry needs the van to go to and form work.) In 2008 Sue's employer gave her a 2.9% raise. She will not receive another salary adjustment until 2009. Harry and Sue's property taxes increased by 8.9% last year. We all know what's happened with the prices of gasoline, electricity, water, natural gas - all keep increasing by rates far exceeding 2.9%. Sue is lucky, though. Harry didn't get a raise at all. At this point, they are just barely hanging on. But lately Harry's been feeling sick. He's afraid - he's afraid he might have a form of cancer that runs in his family, but he doesn't want to go to the doctor - they can't afford the out of pocket cost with that high deductible plan. His group life insurance lapsed because he couldn't afford to pay the premiums after his employer stopped paying for the group policy. He can't talk to Sue about this. She already has enough to worry about. The gas-guzzling van needs work that they can't afford and they can't trade it in because no one wants a gas-guzzling van these days. The kids need dental work but they won't get it because Sue couldn't afford to continue to pay the monthly premiums for family dental coverage. They opted for an occasional pound of hamburger (on sale), instead. It's just stress, Harry thinks, that's making him feel sick to his stomach all the time. Just stress. By the way, Harry and Sue don't qualify for food stamps. They "make too much money." From The New York Times Food Stamps Buy Less, and Families Are Hit Hard By LESLIE KAUFMAN Published: June 22, 2008 Making ends meet on food stamps has never been easy for Cassandra Johnson, but since food prices began their steep climb earlier this year, she has had to develop new survival strategies. She hunts for items that are on the shelf beyond their expiration dates because their prices are often reduced, a practice she once avoided. Ms. Johnson, 44, who works in customer service for a medical firm, knows that buying food this way is not healthy, but she sees no other choice if she wants to feed herself and her 1-year-old niece Ammni Harris and 2-year-old nephew Tramier Harris, who live with her. “I live paycheck to paycheck,” said Ms. Johnson, as she walked out of a market near her home in Hackensack, N.J., pushing both Ammni and the week’s groceries in a shopping cart. “And we’re not coping.” The sharp rise in food prices is being felt acutely by poor families on food stamps, the federal food assistance program. In the past year, the cost of food for what the government considers a minimum nutritional diet has risen 7.2 percent nationwide. It is on track to become the largest increase since 1989, according to April data, the most recent numbers, from the United States Department of Agriculture. The prices of certain staples have risen even more. The cost of eggs, for example, has increased nearly 20 percent, and the price of milk and other dairy products has risen 10 percent. Rest of article. ************************************************************************************** Harry and Sue aren't real people - but I do know people like Harry and Sue. I work with them; I ride the bus to and from work with people like them.