Addressing Hunger and Food Insecurity in America

The world that we live in is inevitably problem stricken. There will always be a challenge that we are given to overcome, may that be a natural disaster, war, poverty, hunger, etc. As a whole we need to come together to find a ‘solution’ for all of these issues that are so detrimental to this world and those living in it. Some may be more preventative than the others, however, we must work together in times of distress to rebuild. I will be addressing the problem of hunger and food insecurity in America. Food security is define by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as access by all people at all time to enough food for an active, healthy life. On the other hand, food insecurity is outlined very well by the National Research Council.

While examining food insecurity in America this council states that, “Food insecurity exists whenever the availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or the ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways is limited or uncertain…Food insecurity, as measured in the United States, refers to the social and economic problem of lack of food due to resource or other constraints, not voluntary fasting or dieting, or because of illness, or for other reasons.” (http://www.nap.edu/read/11578/chapter/5#43, pg.

43)] (http://www.nap.edu/read/11578/chapter/5#44, pg. 44)}

Food insecurity in America is largely a result of the percentage of hunger throughout the nation.

Nearly 20% of the American population goes hungry every day. There is absolutely no way that this should be true considering the fact that there is more than enough food, in regards to a healthy caloric intake, for everyone in America to be well feed every day. The problem is so relevant that many people go to great extremes to get food. These extremes can go as far as committing crime such a stealing, selling drugs, robbing, etc. Even though this is not a guaranteed response it is one of many

possibilities.
Food insecurity typically being a result of social and economic problems, can be stimulated by many different factors including the poverty cycle, low wages, having more financial responsibilities than an individual can handle, etc. The poverty cycle, by far, is one of the greatest indicators of someone that experiences food insecurity. The poverty cycle is the set of factors or events by which poverty, once started, is likely to continue unless there is outside intervention. More often than not people are born into the cycle, rather than falling in to it at a later age, even though that is a possibility. In this case the individual is not at fault, however, they remain responsible for escaping the cycle themselves. As the definition implies these individuals born into the poverty cycle have to utilize any and all outside intervention in their attempt to escape the cycle. The first step in this plan is promoting education. It is imperative that the importance of education is expressed starting at a young age.
It has been proven that children tend to do better in school when they have a healthy caloric intake. There has been research done that shows that children that lack the proper diet have a hard time doing well in school. The Child Trends Data Bank has an article dedicated to statistics on who and to what extent individuals are effected by food insecurity. The greatest effect that hunger can have on children, besides health issues, are smaller educational gains than a child that has had an adequate healthy diet, meaning access to nutritional and safe food. According to the Child Trends Data Banks, “Food-insecure children show smaller gains in math and reading achievement between kindergarten and third grade, and, among those ages six to 11, a higher likelihood of repeating a grade.” Site source In order to stay on track and graduate both 8th grade and high school, a child must have motivation to do well in school. If their learning is hindered by food insecurity or hunger, from a young age this could be a huge limiting factor to being a successful student, effecting motivation to stay in school or to do well in school.
In an attempt to combat this problem, from an early age, I would like to propose an incentive to do well in school in communities that are generally exposed to food insecurity. These incentives could range from small trinkets or candy for younger children, or an actual stipend for older students. There is already a program in place called Jobs for American’s Graduates (JAG) that offers high school students an incentive to graduate. This programs success not only helps in motivating students to graduate but also leads to motivating students to pursue postsecondary education and/or entry-level jobs that lead to career advancement opportunities. The JAG program wants to, “…make a measurable difference in the outcome of public education…to increase opportunity and reduce poverty and unemployment...” SITE My vision is to create a program similar to this that starts with a more elementary level of education. The vision expands to younger kids that will be given mentors to help them from kindergarten to college. These mentors will help with school, life skills, social skills, etc. This program is designed to start from an early age in combatting the ongoing problems that are a result of the poverty cycle, most significantly food insecurity and the impacts it has on children. WRITE A REFLECTION OF THE SUCCESS OF THE JAG PROGRAM
In order to escape the reality of the poverty cycle, it takes work. The definition of the poverty cycle above mentions the importance of outside intervention. This program would be a source of outside intervention to help in aiding young children and eventually young adults to escape the poverty cycle. Beginning a program like this at an early age would be very influential for all of its participants as a child’s reality is shaped from early life experiences. This experience would be able to show them the importance of education and support in regards to a successful future.
The poverty cycle, often referenced to as the poverty trap is pictured below:

Both of these are visual representation of what I have been trying to express. A child that is born into poverty automatically experiences many of the aspects of either cycle pictured above. I particularly like how although these are two different diagrams that are meant to express the same concept, but they take different factors into account.(REWORD) The first one is more relatable in an everyday life sense, and on the other hand is the second one which is more broad and general.
In regards to my solution, an incentive to do well in school, the first diagram exemplifies the importance of education. With an incentive to do well in school a child will hopefully be able to avoid the stage of the cycle where they become disadvantaged in educational skills. If there is one stage of the cycle that is overcome, the rest of the cycle will be easier to overcome or surpassed, leading the individual to be successful in their pursuit of escaping the poverty trap.
This solution would be successful in the sense that it will be an aid in breaking the poverty cycle, geared towards those that are born into it. The problem of food insecurity will continue to be just that, a problem, until we are able to implement solutions like these. Even though this is only aimed at a specific group of individuals, the solution has to start somewhere. Many people say that the youth of today are what make the success of tomorrow, therefore, we have to allow the youth a chance at success so that we can strive in the future. This solution seems to be designed to benefit only those that participate, however, in the long run this program will benefit the future of our country; as the youth are the future.