It’s something we take for granted.
When we’re hungry, we head to the cupboard or the refrigerator, and we find a snack to quench that hunger. Likewise, breakfast, lunch and dinner are a given. Whether we decide to eat three meals a day or not, the opportunity is there.
And then there are those of us who find ourselves cleaning out our refrigerators/pantries — usually right before the garbage truck hits our streets — throwing away countless items of food that is either too old to eat or food that just isn’t tempting anymore.
But the convenience of having plenty to eat in our homes — or the decision to stop for a quick burger or go to a local restaurant, isn’t a reality for everyone.
In fact, one in five people in the United States face hunger. That’s right. One in five people.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines “food insecurity” as not having enough food for all members of a household. The fact is food insecurity exists in every county in our nation — and that includes Bureau County.
Adults of all ages, children of all ages — they go to sleep at night with an empty belly, and the hunger doesn’t go away when they wake up in the morning. It’s still there. For some, it’s always there.
According to nokidhungry.org, 48.6 million Americans — including 13 million children — live in a home that lacks the means to have enough nutritious food on a regular basis.
Most anyone who knows of someone who is hungry — adults or children — doesn’t mind helping out, even though the problem might seem insurmountable. Next week, area residents have an opportunity to help local residents who are hungry.
The annual National Association of Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is set for Saturday, May 13, and it’s easy to get involved.
Just place non-perishable food items in a bag by your mailbox, and your letter carrier or mailman/woman will pick it up and take it to the food pantry which serves your area. Keep in mind, all products must have a good expiration date.
While the project sounds like a good one, you might think a couple cans of green beans or a box of macaroni and cheese might not do much to combat hunger in our area, but nothing could be further from the truth.
Scott Maschek, Princeton’s National Association of Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive coordinator, said Princeton contributed 22,000 pounds of food in 2016, which put the Princeton facility in 11th place in the nation for post offices with 25 routes or less; Princeton has five routes.
On top of that, Princeton collected more than 4,150 pounds per letter carrier, which made them No. 1 in the nation. The food collected was able to help 1,876 households and 4,780 individuals in Princeton and the surrounding communities.
Maschek said this is the silver anniversary, or the 25th official food drive event. To date,1.5 trillion pounds of food have been collected nationwide. In 2016, 80.1 million pounds were collected across the country.
So will those cans of green beans or that box of macaroni and cheese really make a difference?
To a hungry child, senior, teenager, adult — it could mean the difference between going to bed hungry, waking up hungry, and the inability to concentrate at school, work and home because their hunger is so great.
We encourage everyone to get involved and give generously. Set out a bag — maybe two or three — for your letter carrier to pick up on Saturday, May 13.
We never know when we, too, might need the services of our local food pantries. If you can donate to this effort, your benevolence will be much appreciated by many hungry Bureau County people.
Bureau County Republican
