49 Million People in the United States Went Hungry in 2008

Marisol Bello in USAToday in November 2009 reported the following:

• 49 million Americans went hungry or had insufficient food at some point in 2008.
• The above number is the highest reported since the government started tracking the statistic in 1995.
• In the same year, “16.7 million children did not eat regularly at some point”.
• “Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America, the country’s largest hunger-relief organization, said its food banks in states hit hardest by the recession, including Nevada, Florida, Michigan, California and Ohio, have seen 50% increases in people turning to them for help.”
• According to the United Nations, 1 in 6 of all people on the planet, approximately 1 billion people, do not have enough to eat.

To read the entire article, click on ‘Wake-up call’: 1 in 6 went hungry in America in 2008.