Fox News thinks hunger is humorous

Chef Mario Batali has become involved with Feeding America in raising awareness and money to help feed those in need. He and his family decided to see what it is like to survive on a food stamps budget. Apparently, if you dare suggest that government programs for the poor should not be cut so the wealthy can have bigger tax breaks, then Fox News sends out the attack dogs.



Why any compassionate human being would ever watch Fox News escapes me. They want to "slap around" (see the 0:25 mark in the video) someone who is empathetic and sympathetic to the less fortunate. Ah, the storm troopers of the Culture War.

I volunteer at a local food pantry that is part of the Feeding America network. Feeding America is the largest nongovernmental organization focusing on food insecurity and hunger in the country. To give you an idea of the scope of the problem and Feeding America's program, here are some fun facts:

Feeding America is annually providing food to 37 million Americans, including 14 million children. This is an increase of 46 percent over 2006, when we were feeding 25 million Americans, including 9 million children, each year. That means one in eight Americans now rely on Feeding America for food and groceries. 

Feeding America's nationwide network of food banks is feeding 1 million more Americans each week than we did in 2006. 

Thirty-six percent of the households we serve have at least one person working. 

More than one-third of client households report having to choose between food and other basic necessities, such as rent, utilities and medical care. 

The number of children the Feeding America network serves has increased by 50 percent since 2006.

The Great Recession has created the largest food security crisis since Depression, yet Paul Ryan and friends want to cut government assistance programs. If they succeed in reducing the deficit on the backs of the poor, Feeding America and other private organizations will not be able to pick up the slack.

The Feeding America food pantry in my area provides a shopping cart full of groceries to 1500 families every month. In other words, we provide supplementary food assistance to about 5000 people a month. To accomplish that feat, it takes a small army of volunteers and a handful of paid staff. Here are some of the things we do every week.

We collect perishable items from some area grocery stores, restaurants, and food coops that are nearing expiration, but still safe and in good condition. These are items that would probably wind up in dumpsters after the target "sell by" date is reached. These fresh fruits and vegetables are beyond the means of most living below the poverty line.

We process donations from local food drives.

We purchase 15 tons of canned food, meats, diary products, and grains from the Department of Agriculture and corporate wholesalers every month, using funds from donations and grants.

We distribute food twice a week. Each distribution requires set up, check in, manning stations where clients pick items from our stocks, clean-up, and inventory. Preparation for the next distribution begins the following day.

There are several factors that limit this food pantry's ability to feed the hungry. Our storage and distribution space is limited to 800 square feet in 3 rooms of a church basement. Donations and grants have declined during the recession even though the need has never been greater. Funding for Department of Agriculture programs has been cut, limiting access to low cost bulk foods. It all adds up to trying to feed more people with one hand tied behind our back.

If Ayn Rand Superstar Paul Ryan and company succeed in shredding the government safety net, Feeding America will not be able to pick up the pieces. Even under the best of circumstances, its network of regional food banks and local food pantries can only provide a backstop to government programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (a.k.a., food stamps). It will be a disaster deliberately engineered by people in government who want to spend money on war and welfare for the wealthy.

Feeding America is a private sector operation and Mario Batali has offered his time and money to help the organization. Fox News is attacking not only the government programs for the poor, but also private sector programs as well. One of their clever bobble-heads suggests the poor just get a job, which is a rather vicious statement in an economy where nearly one in six Americans is unemployed or underemployed. That says everything you need to know about Fox News.

There are some things you can to do help feed the hungry. A donation of time, money, or both to Feeding America can make a big difference.