According to a federal survey, nearly 7 percent of households in Alabama have gone hungry because they didn’t have enough money for food. That’s the highest rate in the nation, says the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Forget for a moment that Alabama once again leads the nation in one of those statistical categories that measure quality of life. Forget for a moment that this is not a contest. Forget for a moment that our purpose here is not to get ahead of Mississippi or Arkansas or whichever state is above us.
Instead, think about the thousands of our neighbors who look into their cupboards and don’t have to choose between beans or rice. They have no choice because nothing is there. Think about their children who aren’t thinking about getting a treat, they are hoping for a meal that will fill them up and ease those pangs of hunger.
This is shameful. This is hard to believe in the most prosperous nation in the world. This is hard to admit in a society where trash cans are routinely filled with food that is thrown out. Truth is, there is plenty of food for everyone. We in Alabama are not in the midst of a famine.
Fortunately, the survey doesn’t show that people are hungry all the time. But it does show they have “low food security” or they eat less than normal because of a lack of money.
These surveys are done about every three years. The last one showed 3.3 percent of Alabama residents were going hungry. Now, that number is up to almost 7 percent, about double.
What has happened in the last three years? The worst economic crisis since the Great Depression has had Alabama and our country in its grip. And while the economists say things are improving, that doesn’t always translate into better times for those on the lowest levels of our economic system.
We need jobs. We need income for those who are suffering, incomes that are sufficient for the basics — for food, shelter and clothing. Many who work simply do no make enough money to provide those basics in the long days or weeks between paychecks, when the money runs out as the cupboard goes bare.
Alabama’s poverty rate is almost 17 percent. That’s a factor. We charge sales tax on groceries. In fact, in many places when the state and local sales taxes are added together the tax rate is 10 percent. If you make a decent wage, that’s bothersome but not a problem. If you make less than a decent wage, and 17 percent of our people do, it is a real problem. It means that in a 30-day month, taxes will take three days worth of your food.
As the holidays approach, the people of Alabama will open their hearts and wallets. We always do. We see to it that as many as possible have Thanksgiving and Christmas meals, and presents for the little ones.
But what do we do when January rolls around? That’s the real test. An empty stomach is just as empty on Jan. 25 and it is on Dec. 25.
We don’t have a checklist of answers that will solve this problem. But we recognize that it is a problem, and one that must be solved.
Post a Comment
