Hungry Americans

Food pantries in Northern New York and across the country are appealing for donations to restock depleted shelves as more and more people turn to the pantries for help in desperate times. Unemployment and rising poverty are making it difficult for Americans to feed themselves and their families.

Now a U.S. Department of Agriculture report reveals the magnitude of the problem confronting the country when nearly 49 million people, or 14.6 percent of U.S. households, struggled to get enough food to eat last year. That is an increase of 13 million and the highest number since 1995 when the government started tracking what is being called "food insecurity," a term with less political fallout than hunger, as it once was called.

One-third of the families reported "very low food security," meaning the 17 million people in 6.7 million households in this category reduced the amount of food they ate, skipped a meal or went without food at some time during the year.

Two-thirds said they managed enough to eat by changing their eating or buying habits, relying on government assistance or visiting a food pantry.

In 2008, nearly 17 million children lived in households that experienced a lack of food, an increase of 4 million children over the previous year. The number of children who went hungry jumped from 700,000 to 1.1 million.

Government programs played an important role in fending off hunger for millions of Americans, More than half of those with food shortages depended on food stamps, subsidized school lunches or the WIC program for women with infants and young children to supplement their diets. Almost 5 million households sought help from food pantries with another 625,000 finding a meal in a soup kitchen.

Officials fear the numbers could get worse when this year's figures are reported a year from now. As the nation heads into the Thanksgiving holiday and Christmas season, the report reminds us of those who depend on their neighbors and community for help this holiday and throughout the year.