November 18, 2009

CHICAGO – As people throughout the United States prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a report this week that shows a significant increase in hunger in U.S. households. That's not surprising, said Nancy D. Arnison, director of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's (ELCA) World Hunger Program. But the extent of the increase is surprising, particularly the statistics for children, said Arnison.

USDA's Economic Research Service released its annual report Nov. 16 on Household Food Security. It said that in 2008, 17 million U.S. households – about 49 million people – "were food insecure and families had difficulty putting enough food on the table at times during the year," according to a USDA news release. USDA said the number of affected households increased by 4 million over the previous year. The USDA release said that's the highest single-year increase since it began food security surveys in 1995.

More than one in seven U.S. households are food insecure, and one in four children may not be getting enough food, the report said. USDA said the fundamental cause for food insecurity is poverty, made worse by the current recession and high unemployment.

The statistics for children are "devastating, shocking news for the most developed nation in the world," Arnison said in an interview.

In 2008, 16.7 million children were food insecure, up 4.2 million from 2007, the USDA report said.

The Rev. David Beckmann, an ELCA pastor, is president of Bread for the World, Washington, D.C., a nationwide Christian citizens movement that works through advocacy with government leaders on behalf of people living with hunger. ELCA World Hunger supports Bread, and the ELCA is a Bread for the World partner church.

He, too, was concerned about the children's hunger figures. "We must make serious progress against child hunger when Congress renews child nutrition programs next year," Beckmann said in a Bread news release.

This week, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack testified before a U.S. Senate committee, urging reauthorization of child nutrition programs in 2010. The ELCA was among 23 faith groups and organizations that signed an "Interfaith Statement on Child Nutrition Reauthorization," calling for reauthorization of funding for federal nutrition programs, including improved access to benefits and participation.

The USDA report confirms the important work of the ELCA World Hunger Appeal, the fundraising arm of the ELCA World Hunger Program, Arnison said. She said member's gifts to the appeal are shared directly with local food pantries to meet immediate food needs for children and families; through long-term programs to address the root causes of hunger; and through advocacy with governments to support hunger programs.

The World Hunger Program provides nearly 400 grants to support domestic anti-hunger programs and supports programs in more than 60 countries through ELCA Global Mission, Arnison said. ELCA Global Mission distributes grants to companion churches and partner organizations such as the Lutheran World Federation, Geneva, and Lutheran World Relief, Baltimore.

ELCA members contribute nearly $20 million to the World Hunger Appeal annually. More than 90 percent of each gift provides direct support for the church's hunger ministry, according to information from the Appeal.

"We have a chance to demonstrate God's love for all of God's children through our work in food assistance and building strong communities where families can become self-sufficient," Arnison said.

Gifts to the ELCA World Hunger Appeal may be contributed to congregations or sent to ELCA World Hunger, P.O. Box 71764, Chicago, IL 60694-1764. Credit card gifts can be made by phone at 1-800-638-3522 or online at http://www.ELCA.org/hunger/.

ELCA News Service