Hunger in America – South Whidbey Island Food Banks

Hunger in America is a sad reality that we all must understand. This series on the Good Cheer Blogspot will attempt to be your eyes and ears on hunger in America and what we are doing locally to do our part in helping the people in the community.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently released a tragic report on hunger in America. The report found that 49 million Americans; about 16% of the population lacked dependable access to adequate food last year. That was an increase of 13 million people over the previous year, when 12 percent of Americans faced what the government calls “food insecurity.” Of that number 23% were children.

You might ask what is food insecurity? When you don’t have the money you tend to eat cheaper foods which are often less nutritious. Sure there is the dollar menu at McDonalds but we all know that fast food is not good. People also tend to buy more processed foods which are higher in sodium and often filled with other chemicals.

People are turning more and more to food banks to supplement their food stamps. The hardest hit are the single parent families where one in three single mothers reported that they struggle to keep their families fed.

The people of South Whidbey can look at The Good Cheer Food Bank and Thrift Stores with a real sense of pride. The Thrift Stores are a big part of the program since they help to provide additional funds for the purchase of food for those who are in need.

The Good Cheer Garden is all about good nutrition straight from the earth.

Good Cheer has a great program for kids in their WIN Program. Whidbey Island Nourishes is sponsored by Good Cheer. This is a volunteer effort that provides free, nutritious sack lunches to people in need (especially children).

Without your support we would find it difficult to be your steward in the fight against hunger in the community.

Thank you for being there.

If you have a some time to view a short video; “Food for Thought: What is Hunger in America” is worth your time.

Just click on our thanks to you above!