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What do Americans Think about Fixing the Food Crisis?
How is it that 50 million people in the United States – one of the richest countries on the planet – do not know where their next meal is coming from? This situation, known as “food insecurity,” is absolutely outrageous.
And while legions of terrific nonprofit organizations and faith-based groups deliver much-needed food assistance daily, and advocacy organizations work with policy-makers to change the system, we wondered: What do everyday Americans think about food insecurity? How widely is it understood, and what are their thoughts about solving it?
So as part of the Social Action campaign for our film A Place at the Table, we polled a representative sample of just over 1,000 people across the country to find out.
In our new study “Food Insecurity in America: US Public Opinion About Hunger and Obesity” some of the answers from our fellow citizens surprised us:
– 4 out of 5 think food insecurity is a problem in America, and nearly 3/4 said government is not doing enough to solve address it
– Women and minorities are most impacted by food insecurity, and also most interested in taking action to solve it
– More than 2/3 think food insecurity is related to obesity, and that this link will contribute to rising healthcare costs
– More than 90% of Americans have contributed money, food or time to help those who are hungry
– Most people (51%) go online to find out how to help, and 72% said they would use a website that served as a “one-stop shop” for ways to get involved
That last point – the one about wanting a “one-stop shop” online – is why we just launched a first-of-its-kind National Action Center that does just that with a great group of non-profit organizations, including Bread for the World, Feeding America,Food Research and Action Center and Share our Strength. We’re collecting actions from all over the country that people can take to fight hunger and alleviate food insecurity in their communities and nationwide.
But as our study shows, the problem of food insecurity is broad, and it is deep: it affects 50 million Americans every day. Every day!
However, there is hope! Solutions do exist from dozens of organizations who are working to end food insecurity in this country once and for all. They are the great groups adding actions you can take to the National Action Center. And as you see inA Place at the Table, we’ve come together as a nation to virtually solve food insecurity before, in the late 1960s under President Richard Nixon.
So it’s time to come together, and do it again!
See the Social Action campaign press release about the National Action Center here.
– Chad Boettcher, Executive Vice President, Social Action & Advocacy