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Hunger on the rise in Massachusetts
By Anonymous on Sun, 11/02/2008 - 7:08pm
Did you know that
more than 8 percent of the state's households [more than 500,000 people] could not afford to buy enough healthy food from 2004 to 2006, the most recent years for which statistics are available.
That's up from the 6 percent during the years between 2001 to 2003.
Advocates blame a souring economy and higher food prices in part for the increase in hungry families. LINK
Think about how much worse the economy has gotten since 2006. Commonwealth families need you assistance.
It just so happens Mayor Menino has announced a canned food drive coincidental with the election on Tuesday:
Mayor Thomas M. Menino today stood alongside community partners from the Greater Boston Food Bank, the United Way, Project Bread, and FedEx to launch the 22nd Annual Boston can Share Food Drive at Shaw's Supermarket in the Prudential Center. Last year, Can Share worked with over 100 community partners to raise 103,000 pounds of food, totaling 131,000 meals. This year’s effort comes after Mayor Menino launched the first-ever Food and Fuel Campaign in August to address the rising costs of nutritious food and home heating oil. Boston Can Share mobilizes residents and community partners in an effort to end hunger, a critical public health issue.
Mayor Menino Kicks off Boston Can Share 2008
10/28/2008 - Released by Mayor's Office, Press Office at 617.635.4461
LINK
Mayor Menino dressed as a Zombie for Halloween
Photo credit City Of Boston .Gov
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Comments
Hunger soon to decline
Since food prices have sank.
Which will result in low
Which will result in low income people being laid off from Stop and Shop, Shaws and Market Basket, resulting in more hunger...
Doesnt matter how cheap something is if you dont have any money.
When did food prices drop?
I spend about $200 a week on groceries even though I'm pretty damn cheap and buy in bulk, and I ain't seeing it. Given the amounts that I purchase to fuel that recently installed Adolescent Food Disposal Unit of mine, I think that I'd notice!
The price of oil dropped dramatically on the world market, but the current crop of food cost a lot more to produce because of the insanity of the previous year.
Food prices do drop as Thanksgiving approaches, true, but you can't live on the things that get cheaper - chocolate chips and stuffing mix. Meanwhile, flour and rice and milk and familypak chicken are as pricey as ever!
More like, when will they readjust downward
Commods have sunk through the floor, but the retail prices are still high (gouging?)
http://bonddad.blogspot.com/2008/10/wednesday-comm...
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTR...
I look at the charts more than the receipts... but expect prices to drop between now and March (probably xmas, but again, gouging?)
not so fast
This year's food was produced, processed and shipped with last year's oil and the prices reflect last year's oil prices.
Just because oil is cheaper NOW, doesn't mean that food prices will drop substantially for another year. The processing cost and transport cost will drop over time, but there is no immediate response.
Yes, fast
Yea I know, and I didn't claim there would be. That's what my (gouging?) asides are about.
Hunger soon to decline Since
I wish you were right. You're not. It's a real problem for a lot of MA residents, 1 in 8 in 2006, that's 12.5%!
In the last 12 month alone, food prices are up 7.6%.
Plus, real income has declined since 2000, so people have less buying power.
Just because you don't go to sleep with hunger pangs, doesn't mean everyone in MA has the same experience.
Consider donating a few cans of food at the polls tomorrow instead of spending time thinking up reasons why this really isn't a problem.
re: decline
Um, well, as someone who has experience in an HIV+ food pantry in the Back Bay, I'm aware of hunger in the state, even if food prices were cheap as water.
Sorry for being the economic rain on your parade of awareness. I do hope that since commodities have dropped from their highs that prices will soon drop as well, so that folks can get what they need (and want!) to eat in addition to other necessities.
And if I may throw in even more defense, a change from 12.5% to 12.0% is still a "decline"
I do hope that since
Me too.
The evidence we have is that food prices have risen and not fallen yet as commodities prices have fallen. We also have evidence that real income has dropped steadily from 2000 to 2006 so our economic condition is trending in a direction to produce more hungry residents in the Commonwealth not fewer.
I just wanted to get readers to consider making a donation.
Easier than carrying cans to the polls, Swrrly identifies a painless way to contribute below.
This is for anyone who knows
This is for anyone who knows better then I do about food kitchens, which will be quite a few people because Im clueless...
I was always skeptical about buying canned goods then donating them to a food kitchen. My first inclination is alot of the canned food that gets donated may not get used if its alfalfa sprouts in a can or something. My second thought is if I just gave cash to someone, not sure who, then the kitchen would surely have more buying power then I do and would be able to do more with a dollar then I would. That being said Im still gonna drop some cans in the box, but would like to know for the future if it makes more sense for me to just donate some cash instead, or is it easier for them to just take the cans since they have a system in place for that?
Food Pantry Collections at Most Grocery Stores
Here's an easy way to help:
Most local food pantries have collection boxes in the local grocery stores.
Buy one get one free deal? Give the spare to the pantry.
Reduced price multi-pack? Ditto.
When we go to BJs or Costco, I always send the kids to pick up a case of something for the food pantry - tuna, rice mixes, spaghetti, etc. I guess I know all too well what reconstituted feed-store powdered milk tastes like.
Funds instead of Food
If interested in helping those who will be suffering because of high food and fuel costs, you can also make an online donation here: http://csf.supportunitedway.org/csf