Hunger Action Month

September brings with it rainy days, cooler temperatures, and an increased attention to MLB.  Most importantly here at the JCRC, however, is that September is Hunger Action Month.  Between making phone calls to organizations asking for their support of the Jewish and Muslim Day of Service and the Jewish Social Action Month of Cheshvan, I have been collecting information about hunger in the St. Louis area and compiling information on the organizations that are fighting it.  I am learning much more than I expected.  As a St. Louis University student living in the middle of the city, I previously believed that I had a firm grasp on the issue of hunger in our area.  I was quickly proved wrong and would like to share some of the information I have gathered.

One of the main topics I have been researching is the Farm Bill that was passed by Congress on April 26th of this year.  The Farm Bill is a collection of legislation that regulates agriculture, nutrition, conservation, and forestry policy.  The 2012 Farm Bill proposes a $4.5 billion cut to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) over the next ten years.  This cut would mean that 500,000 households a year would lose $90 a month in the SNAP benefits they receive.  For a family struggling at the poverty line, this is a significant loss in their budget. 

H.Res.760 is the Sense of the House Resolution opposing the SNAP cuts.  This resolution outlines the negative implementations of the Farm Bill and asks Congress to reject them.  The document includes some incredibly disheartening information.  In 2010, 48.8 million people lived in food insecure households.  In May of 2012, SNAP served more than 46 million people.  The current Farm Bill will leave thousands of these individuals struggling to put food on their tables.  With the effects of our summer's drought beginning to take a toll on food prices, these individuals and families are already going to be feeling the stretch by paying more in grocery stores.   

Ironically, as Hunger Action Month continues, Congress will reconvene on the issue of the Farm Bill on September 10th.  Information from the Food Research and Action Center estimates that, if the Farm Bill would increase the SNAP benefit budget by $1 billion, 18,000 full-time jobs would be created or maintained.  They also support the statistic listed in H.Res.760 that every dollar in SNAP benefits is estimated to generate up to $1.79 in economic activity.  These figures truly astounded me and forced the gears in my head to turn and think about this current issue. Visit www.frac.org to learn more about the Farm Bill and what you can do to be a part of this ongoing battle against hunger.