Hunger Here?

Are people hungry in the North Country ?

The Nutrition Consortium of New York State has estimated that 1,800 children are going hungry in St. Lawrence County. They're missing meals or not getting enough to eat because there isn't food in the house or money to buy food. Another 6,800 kids are at risk of hunger. Nearly a quarter of our county's children live in poverty.

Although thirty food pantries distribute 800,000 meals a year in our county, more than 13,000 individuals here experience food insecurity. Some 6,000 students from low-income families in St. Lawrence County currently rely on free or reduced-price school lunches to supplement their home meals. Meanwhile, the Food Stamp Program reaches only 15 percent of eligible seniors.

The problem of hunger is not confined to St. Lawrence County. Every year the Food Bank of Central New York delivers more than ten million pounds of food and groceries to food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, and senior centers throughout eleven counties in upstate New York

In the state as a whole, some 1.4 million New Yorkers receive help from emergency food programs each month. Nearly half of the guests served by food pantries in New York State are children.

Why Are People Hungry in New York State ?

Hunger has many causes. An illness, an injury, or a catastrophic house fire can sometimes throw people into poverty and hunger. These people need emergency help to get back on their feet.

Other people are out of work and need a job with a regular income. In St. Lawrence County, the unemployment rate is chronically high.

But these days an alarming number of working people must rely on food pantries to provide ongoing food and clothing. In fact, one out of every three families visiting a food pantry has at least one member who works.

Many of these New Yorkers work conscientiously in full-time jobs. But at minimum wage, they simply do not earn enough money to maintain a basic standard of living. Their paychecks aren't large enough to buy food, pay the rent and medical bills, buy clothes for the children, and keep the car running so they can travel to work.

Many observers think that raising the minimum wage to a living wage would help end hunger. The United States has the highest wage inequality of any industrialized nation. Consider this: If minimum wage had kept pace with what corporations have paid their CEOs since 1960, it would now be over $57 an hour.