People are not hungry because the population is growing so fast that food is becoming scarce. Then there is the argument of blaming people for their own predicament. Have they been lazy, made poor decisions, and been solely responsible for their plight? Such causes of hunger are no doubt real but the deeper and more global causes of hunger are often less discussed.
People are hungry because they cannot afford food. Unemployment, low wages, lack of benefits, childcare expenses, skyrocketing housing and energy costs, and high out-of-pocket medical expenses make many families and individuals vulnerable to hunger. More than 50% of adult food shelf clients work, yet they are still unable to make ends meet.
(“2006 Hunger Fact Sheet,” Minnesota Food Share, Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches”).
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