Some 691,000 US children went hungry last year, a 50% increase

Two words......Top Roman!!!

I agree that hunger is a huge problem globally and overlooked as a priority by our government and society, but being food insecure means a number of things. Included in that survey were questions about whether people worried about affording food or having enough before their next paycheck. Answering yes to this can classify as a household as being "food insecure at one time." It does not necessarily mean that they did not have enough food, ran out, or could not buy groceries.

Also, in the US, that 118 million households represents 11.1 percent of our population. 89 percent were reported to be food secure the entire year.

As for government programs - there are about 15 federal and community food assistance programs. A little over half of those food insecure households received assistance from at least one of those programs, some more than one.

The lack of promotion of these programs, and sadly the pride of some struggling with poverty, could be the result of the remaining percentage that was not assisted.

It's a big problem regardless, but there is help out there. It needs to be publicized.

hallcrash2000 & fun_size

This is a USDA survey. Why not read the link before commenting? The US welfare system is obviously not feeding our children. You wouldn't be confused if you've ever been to a ghetto in Detroit, it's like a war zone.

Im kinda confused. I know that there are obviously low class families in the US but isnt that what welfare is for? To ensure that low class families have enough food to eat?

what dose hungry mean? I am hungry right now, so are 50% of the population I bet.

Yes, the Appalachian mountains, where coal kills with disease and poverty. It most certainly is atrocious.

A friend of mines mother signed up for Feed the Children thinking that she would sponsor a child in a foreign country. To her surprise she was assigned a child in the Appalachian mountains. The atrocious distribution of wealth is a black eye on this country and must be addressed for The US to be a world leader.