National Hunger Awareness Month
National Hunger Awareness Month is recognized in September, focusing on educating the public about hunger both in the United States and globally. The initiative aims to dispel misconceptions about hunger, particularly the belief that it primarily affects homeless individuals or those in developing countries. In the U.S., hunger is often linked to poverty, with significant numbers of adults and children facing food insecurity; notably, one in seven children lives with hunger. During this month, individuals are encouraged to learn about the underlying causes of hunger, such as conflict, economic disparity, and natural disasters, and to take action by supporting food assistance programs.
Participants can contribute by donating food or funds to local food banks, volunteering at soup kitchens, or advocating for federal support of food assistance initiatives. Additionally, raising awareness through social media campaigns and community engagement helps amplify the message. National Hunger Awareness Month serves as a call to action, inviting people to actively participate in the fight against hunger and to foster a more informed and compassionate society.
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National Hunger Awareness Month
National Hunger Awareness Month is recognized in June. Its goal is to inspire individuals to participate in the fight against hunger. It also aims to teach people about who goes hungry and why. Hunger impacts more than eight hundred million people, according to the United Nation’s World Food Programme. Since 2020, the number of individuals considered severely food insecure has risen from 135 million across 53 countries, to 345 million people in 82 countries. Those who are food insecure lack access to enough nutritious food. This dramatic increase in the number of people who are food insecure has heightened the need for more discussions and education on hunger and what can be done to curtail the problem.
COVID-19, the worldwide pandemic first declared in March 2020, has set back years of progress on food shortages and hunger. Food costs have risen sharply, a condition that can be considered an inconvenience or emergency, depending on a person’s socioeconomic status. Countries that depend on grains as a major part of their diet witnessed prices on wheat and corn skyrocket, even before the start of the pandemic.
Background
The idea that hunger impacts only those who are homeless or living in third-world countries is a misunderstanding that can be viewed as a major part of the hunger problem. Many people are only one paycheck away from not being able to afford their next meal. Still others struggle, despite having homes and employment, to provide healthy meals for their family.
Food insecurity, according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), is caused by a variety of overlapping factors that make household access to food limited or uncertain. Hunger is a physiological condition that could be brought on by food insecurity. In 2006, the USDA expanded its definition of food security to address more specific ranges including: high food security, marginal food security, low food security, and very low food security. OXFAM International, a global organization dedicated to fighting poverty and inequality, refers to famine as “the most serious food insecurity in terms of both scale and severity.” Starvation occurs when a lack of food and/or caloric intake for an extended period causes bodily shutdown or death.
In addition to the COVID-10 pandemic, people have gone hungry because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which greatly reduced the latter country’s ability to produce, receive, and distribute food. Hundreds of millions of Ukrainians are likely to experience various levels of food insecurity due to the invasion. That not only creates great health threats to the Ukrainian people, but also reduced their ability to defend themselves or fight back against attackers. The United Nations Security Council passed a resolution that condemned “the use of food insecurity and starvation as a tactic of war.”
Beyond diseases and conflicts, anyone at any age may experience some form of food insecurity. Children and students are often considered at high risk of food insecurity, including older students. In the 2010s, studies showed that rising costs of college education has led many students to have to choose between tuition and proper nutrition.
Overview
National Hunger Awareness Month is observed in September to educate people about hunger and dispel misconceptions. In the United States, hunger is not caused by food shortages as it is in some other countries. Hunger in America has to do with poverty. Those living in poverty often do not have enough food. Hunger affects both adults and children. According to No Kid Hungry, one in seven children in the United States lives with hunger and more than eleven million children live in homes with food insecurity. This can lead to fewer meals, smaller portions, and a substantial lack of nutrition.
During National Hunger Awareness Month, people are encouraged to fight hunger by learning all they can about it, both in the United States and throughout the world. They should learn about the causes of hunger, such as wars and disaster, and share what they have learned with others. People should also work to raise money to fight hunger. They can donate money or food to local food banks, which have been running out of food since the pandemic. People wishing to donate money can hold online fundraisers. They can sponsor a child in an area with high food security.
Working at a food bank or a soup kitchen is a great way to combat hunger each June. Volunteers are needed to cook, serve, and welcome guests.
It is also important to tell lawmakers to support federal food assistance programs. Federal funds are needed to run charities such as food banks. Call, write, or email lawmakers to support such charities in your area.
Many other ways of observing National Hunger Awareness Month are indirect but still helpful and important. For example, people may share links about hunger or hunger-related charities on social media or promote relief efforts with hashtags such as #hunger. These actions, though small, can help to build awareness of the problem among those who may not have much knowledge of it.
Bibliography
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“Did You Know... June is National Hunger Awareness Month?” Junior League of Northern Virginia, 2022, www.jlnv.org/did-you-know-june-is-national-hunger-awareness-month/. Accessed 1 May 2024.
“Fighting Famine.” World Food Programme, 2022, www.wfp.org/fight-famine. Accessed 1 May 2024.
“Hungry in a World of Plenty: Millions on the Brink of Famine.” OXFAM International, 2022, www.oxfam.org/en/hungry-world-plenty-millions-brink-famine. Accessed 1 May 2024.
“June is National Hunger Awareness Month.” Just Harvest, 1 June 2014, justharvest.org/june-is-national-hunger-awareness-month/. Accessed 1 May 2024.
“Our History.” Feeding America, 2022, www.feedingamerica.org/about-us/our-history. Accessed 1 May 2024.
Talerico-Hedren, Lindsey. “National Hunger Awareness Month: Hunger Fast Facts.” World Vision, 3 June 2011, www.worldvision.org/blog/national-hunger-awareness-month-hunger-fast-facts. Accessed 1 May 2024.
“Ukraine War Adds to Hunger Woes; 47 Mn People Risk Starvation: UN.” Business Standard, 20 May 2022, www.business-standard.com/article/international/ukraine-war-adds-to-hunger-woes-47-mn-people-risk-starvation-un-122052000034‗1.html. Accessed 1 May 2024.
“World Hunger: Key Facts and Statistics 2022.” Action Against Hunger, 2022, www.actionagainsthunger.org/world-hunger-facts-statistics. Accessed 1 May 2024.