UNITED STATES

US hunger and poverty facts   US hunger pictures and stories
  United States links

Laura Fritz, 27, left, with her daughter, Adalade Goudeseune, fills out a form at the Jefferson Action Center, an assistance center in the Denver suburb of Lakewood in July 2012. Fritz grew up in the Denver suburbs in a solidly middle class family, but she and her boyfriend, who has struggled to find work, are now relying on government assistance to cover food and $650 rent for their family. Photo: Kristen Wyatt/AP 

Millions of Americans live in extreme poverty. Here’s how they get by. Dylan Matthews Washington Post May 13, 2013

Supreme Court rules for Monsanto, says farmer violated genetically modified soybeans’ patent Robert Barnes Washington Post May 13, 2013  Farmer’s use of genetically modified soybeans grows into Supreme Court case Robert Barnes Washington Post February 9, 2013 See Hunger Notes special report Trade and Hunger

Working for hours on end under a punishing sun, the pickers are said to be crowded into squalid camps, driven without a break and even cheated of wages.  Photo: Grant Blankenship/New York Times

Workers claim race bias as farms rely on immigrants Ethan Bronner New York Times May 6, 2013

There may be millions more poor people in the US than you think Erin McClam NBC News May 3, 2013

A section of a half-mile long concrete wall, six feet tall and a foot or so thick, now covered with murals, built in the 1940s is shown in Detroit, March 28, 2013. The wall was built with a simple aim—to separate blacks and whites.

Detroit race wall located on Birwood Street that once separated whites and blacks now haven for art Jeff Karoub Associated Press/Huntington Post May 1, 2013

Lonnie Briglia, 60, paused to compose himself as he told of the losing battle with the bank to save the family home in Port St. Lucie, Fla. “It's like life is a big doughnut and I fell through the hole,” he said. He’s inside the small trailer he bought for $750 after losing the family home to foreclosure, and he has been on the fence about whether he would take part in SNAP but said might do it if desperate.

In Florida, a food-stamp recruiter deals with wrenching choices Eli Saslow Washington Post April 24, 2013 Photo gallery

The positive economics of 'leaning in'—economists estimate that that between 1960 and 2008, about 15% to 20% of the growth in productivity, or output per hour of work, came from removing the barriers that blocked many white women and blacks of both genders from realizing their potential David Wessell Wall Street Journal April 3, 2013

Obama proposes end to monetized food aid IRIN News  April 11, 2012 Obama administration seeks to overhaul international food aid Ron Nixon New York Times April 4, 2013  Aid groups push Obama administration to shift the way US helps feed starving people abroad Associated Press Washington Post  April 5, 2012 See Hunger Notes special report on development assistance

Why business and labor can't agree on an immigrant labor program Ted Hesson ABC News/Univision March 29, 2013

Drone base in Niger gives US a strategic foothold in West Africa Craig Whitlock Washington Post March 21, 2013 At Pentagon, ‘pivot to Asia’ becomes ‘shift to Africa’ Craig Whitlock Washington Post March 14, 2013 See Hunger Notes special report on foreign aid

Study of men’s falling income cites single parents families as a possible cause Binyamin Appelbaum New York Times March 21, 2013

Rhode Island town relies on food stamps: In Woonsocket, R.I., a third of the residents use SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, to pay for groceries. That means the businesses in the struggling town also rely on the program to survive. Photo: Michael S. Williamson/Washington Post

Food stamps put Rhode Island town on monthly boom-and-bust cycle Eli Saslow Washington Post March 16, 2013 See more stories of hunger and poverty in the United States

Panel examines payroll fraud Lane  Vanderslice Hunger Notes March 13, 2013

Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) provided a weak safety net during and after recession LaDonna Pavetti Center for Budget and Policy Priorities March 4, 2013

A single home in a block once filled with houses with the Detroit headquarters of General Motors in the distance. The company is thriving again. J.D. Pooley/Getty Images

A private boom amid Detroit's public blight Monica Davey New York Times  March 4, 2013 Michigan naming fiscal manager to help Detroit Monica Davey New York Times  March 1, 2013

Unemployment rates are projected to remain high for whites, Latinos, and African Americans throughout 2013 Algernon Austin Economic Policy Institute February 25, 2013  

In spite of billions of dollars spent on heart attack research, and diet's apparent critical role in preventing heart attacks, very few scientific studies on diet's role have been done Gina Colata New York Times March 2, 2013

President Obama calls on Congress to raise the minimum wage to $9 from $7.25 Annie Lowrey New York Times February 13, 2013 23 states raising minimum wage or weighing increases Emma Beck USA Today January 28, 2013

North Carolina lawmakers move to slash unemployment help  Michael A Fletcher Washington Post February 12, 2013

Militant threats test role of a US command in Africa Eric Schmitt New York Times February 11, 2013  US will establish base for drones in North Africa Eric Schmitt New York Times January 28, 2013 See Hunger Notes special report on foreign assistance

Long-term jobless folks' outlook brightens Paul Davidson USA Today February 7, 2013

Cardiss Collins, fighter in Congress for equality and the poor, dies at 81  William Yardley New York Times February 7, 2013

US could fall short of 2020 climate goal, new study says, but target remains in reach Juliet Eilperin Washington Post February 6, 2013  

US and Mexico reach deal to increase tomato prices Stephanie Strom New York Times February 3, 2013 See Hunger Notes special report Trade and Hunger

Farmer’s use of genetically modified soybeans grows into Supreme Court case Robert Barnes Washington Post February 9, 2013 See Hunger Notes special report Trade and Hunger

Supermarkets take up composting, but waste disposal system lags: The composting movement is inching forward in fits and starts, but the nation’s trash disposal system lacks the ability to process food waste on a large scale. Photo: Jared Soares/Washington Post

Composting efforts gain traction across the United States Juliet Eilperin Washington Post February 3, 2013

Virginia eugenics victims would receive compensation for sterilization under bill Fredrick Kunkle Washington Post January 30, 2013

Workers fought changes in labor laws in Wisconsin last year. the total number of union members fell by 400,000 last year, to 14.3 million, even though the nation’s overall employment rose by 2.4 million. Photo: Max Whittaker/New York Times  

Share of the work force in a union falls to a 97-Year low, 11.3% Stephen Greenhouse New York Times January 23, 2013

In memory of Martin Luther King
Why (The King of Love is Dead)
Nina Simone
(song in tribute, written immediately after MLK's assassination on April 4, 1968)

A time to fight: Faced with the foreclosure of her home, Detroit resident LaKeisha Tuggle devised creative solutions to weather economic hardship.  Photo: New York Times

Hanging on: Life in the red Benedict Carey New York Times January 14, 2013

The ranks of the so-called working poor have grown even as the nation is showing signs of shaking off the worst effects of the recession.  Photo: Michael S Williamson/Washington Post

Ranks of working poor increasing Michael A Fletcher Washington Post January 16, 2013

Younger Americans die earlier, and are less healthy than counterparts in other developed countries, with far higher rates of death from guns, car accidents and drug addiction Sabrena Tavernise New York Times January 9, 2013

US continues to add jobs at a slow pace, report shows Catherine Rampell New York Times January 4, 2013  

2012 United States Page    Hunger Notes Home Page