No doubt, you probably at one time or another, have stated yourself, or heard stated from someone else, that "you're starving", when in actuality for most people, that statement is merely reflecting the point that you are hungry and are therefore very intent in getting something to eat. The thing about eating food is that it isn't just a routine, and it isn't just something to enjoy or like, it is in fact, a necessity, because without adequate food and water the body cannot sustain itself. So then, for most people, the hungry pangs that we feel are very real, usually based more on keeping in tune with a rhythm that we have developed in our eating habits as opposed to outright privation, but for others those hungry pangs are an inconvenient truth that they don't have ready access to proper nutrition
It seems unfathomable that there are in the United States plenty of people that actually are not sure where there next good meal is coming from, and are considered to be "food insecure", to which it is estimated via ers.usa.gov that: " 14.0 percent (17.4 million) of U.S. households were food insecure at some time during 2014." The sheer total of households suffering from this insecurity while living in both the richest nation in the world as well as the world's highest exporter or agricultural products is extremely disappointing. Not only that, but America has proven that it has logistics for distribution of all sorts of products, including food, down to a science, which is why when we go to our corner grocery store at pretty much any time of the day, at any time of the year, the shelves and warehouses are full, and virtually never barren or even disorganized.
While it is true that we have great charitable organizations that both distribute food and are often setup to serve food to the homeless and indigent, along with having the National School Lunch program to assist children at school, as well as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), aka food stamps, that the poor can apply and qualify for, yet somehow, there are still in America a staggering multi-million amount of households that are food insecure. The reasons for this food insecurity are myriad, but the prevailing reason is that America suffers from an underclass that simply does not earn enough money to make ends meet on a regular basis without some sort of continual assistance.
The great thing about food in this country, is not only is it prevalent, it is readily available, and it also is relatively inexpensive. This means that under the right programs and incentives America should be able to materially alleviate the food insecurity of so many households by simply addressing the problem with real purpose and determined throughput. No doubt, this signifies that our current governmental programs need to be revamped, rethought, and reconfigured, because as is, they aren't truly successful in their mission.
America needs to face the truth, that there is in this modern age, hunger at our very door, to which, we as a responsible nation, have an obligation to take care of our own, before turning food into fuel, as in ethanol, or exporting food all over the worldwhile our own people's hungry eyes look on, and ask why.