Empty Bellies

When most people think of hungry children they immediately picture the starving children of Africa. They don’t picture children in America hungry, but many go to bed hungry because their parents can’t afford to feed them.

I find this incredibly disturbing and can’t comprehend how a country such as ours can spend billions of dollars to send people to space or go fight a war that is none of our concern but yet neglect it’s citizens. In the United States alone, there are 17 million children at risk for hunger. Out of them approximately 2 million are homeless. The two go hand in hand, and as powerful as America is, or at least used to be, there should not be any one-man, woman or child, ever have to listen to the grumbles of their tummies all day and every day.

We are a country of waste. We waste everything we place our hands on, we waste tons of food that these who need it could be eating. One third of the food we buy…we waste. I have thrown food away simply because they don’t last or expire quickly or throw leftovers in a container and forgetting about it until you see it weeks later growing mold. There are no kids in our house so it’s definitely not a science project.

As of April 2014, New Mexico with 29.2% of children in conditions that leave them without food to eat leads the nation. One county in Texas, places 41% of children who do not have sufficient food source whatsoever. (Numbers per U.S. Department of Agriculture and Feeding America) When the Food Stamp program decided to cut expenses in 2013, 45% of the children in America were using SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). Even with SNAP, kids are not getting the proper nutrition as their parent(s) are not spending the this assistance in proper means for the well being of their household. Many abuse the system and buy expensive foods such as steaks and fish, instead of spending it on foods that will last for a whole month, many run out of this assistance long before their month is up and have to pinch pennies to make ends meet. Some people also take that assistance away from their children to make gains in their favor, like using SNAP to buy drugs or alcohol by letting the people they are buying these from to use their EBT Cards. It is sad that these people think of themselves instead of buying loaves of bread for sandwiches to feed their families.

As powerful as America is and with all the money that exchanges hands between the rich and their finances, the banks, the corrupted government, overpaid athletes and celebrities you would think we would not have to worry about issues such as these….but it is there, in plain sight. Scruffy men and women standing on corners holding signs WILL WORK FOR FOOD.

(What will 25 cents buy?)

In this plastic world we live in, having spare change is hard to find, reach your hand in your pocket for change and you withdraw pieces of lint. If I have it and don’t need it, I will give it to someone who will appreciate it. But most of the time I don’t even have lint in my pocket, they don’t serve a purpose they are just a part of my pants, stuff go into pockets but when you don’t have even lint in them they are useless. Just a pocket of air or wasted space demanding something to put inside. That is what the people on those corners or walking carelessly between cars for something to put into their pockets or that cup they hold. That cup they use to take your change they may use it to hold food or a drink, that cup is their livelihood. That cup that he found in the trash that once held onto your $5 cup of coffee or a Slurpee from 7-Eleven…

There are ways to help, plunk change in their cups or hand them a few dollars, who cares what they use it for. Go buy an extra meal when you go to McDonald’s or Burger King. When I made a trip in April to NY from FL, I made sandwiches for my trip and made an extra baggie for someone who could use it. I had a sandwich, chips and water in an extra bag, and at one of the rest stops there was a veteran who was in need of a meal. So I gave him mine and tossed him a couple dollars. He was so appreciative he acted as though he had won the lottery. I remember a woman question me about doing that….she said to me, “What did you do that for?” I replied simply, “Why not?” and walked away…I saw her again as I walked back to my car, she was still standing there looking at the man, I was thinking to myself, please do something nice lady…she didn’t she shook her head and walked away…I said out loud, “stupid bitch”. I watched her walk to her car, a newer model Cadillac , and sit there in it…she saw me looking at her…as I was about to pull out of the rest stop, I noticed the lady get out of her car, walk back to the Vet and hand him something…it was money and she counted it into his hands…there was five bills of unknown amount…he hugged her and that is when I pulled out to head on my way to NY. I smiled for a bit, knowing I made a little bit of difference in someone’s life.