US hunger
and poverty facts
US hunger pictures
and stories
United
States links
GOP plan to extend tax cuts for rich adds $36 billion to deficit, Congressional panel finds. Democratic plan would increase overall federal tax rate for millionaires to about 29.9 percent, compared with 24.6 percent if all the tax cuts were extended Lori Montgomery
Washington Post August 12, 2010
Battle looms on tax breaks for rich as Bush-era tax cuts set to expire
Lori Montgomery
Washington Post July 26, 2010
Judge blocks key portions of Arizona's immigration law, including the sections
that called for police to check a person’s immigration status while enforcing
other laws Randal C. Archibold New York Times
July 28, 2010
Deportation of illegal immigrants increases under Obama administration
Peter Slevin
Washington Post July 28, 2010
Immigrant sanctuaries rouse
opponents' anger David G. Savage Los Angeles Times
July 25, 2010
Battle looms on tax breaks for rich as Bush-era tax cuts set to expire
Lori Montgomery
Washington Post July 26, 2010
The cautionary case of Shirley Sherrod: her remarks to the NAACP, edited by a
conservative blogger and as edited picked up by conservative and other media as
racist, leading to her immediate dismissal by the US government (as not wanting
to be viewed as racist, perhaps especially not black over white racist), turn
out to be not only not racist, but of use to us all Karen Tumulty
and Ed O'Keefe
Washington Post July 26, 2010
The message of Shirley Sherrod: race isn't
the problem, the economic and political inequality that
results in poverty for many is
Michelle Singletary Washington Post
July 26, 2010
A hidden world, growing beyond control
Dana Priest and
William M. Arkin
Washington Post July 19, 2010

For longtime jobless, no more help in sight Michael A. Fletcher
Washington Post July 13, 2010 See
Hunger Notes special report The world financial, food and hunger crisis
Five myths about America's homeless Dennis Culhane
Washington Post July 11, 2010
In a poor area of Washington DC, residents struggle to find
jobs. Dana Hedgpeth Washington Post
June 18, 2010 See
Hunger Notes special report The world financial, food and hunger crisis

Tyrone Banks in his home in Memphis. He is in danger
of losing it after the payments on his mortgage rose and he
lost his job at FedEx. Photo: Josh Anderson/New York Times
The new poor: Blacks in Memphis lose decades of economic
gains Michael Powell New York Times May 30, 2010 See
Hunger Notes special report The world financial, food and hunger crisis
State budget problems hinder expansion of health insurance
for poor children USA Today May 25,
2010 See
Hunger Notes special report The world financial, food and hunger crisis
Child farm workers'
dangerous lives: Human Rights Watch calls for end to legal double standard that
fails to protect children working in agriculture Human Rights
Watch May 10, 2010 Access report
Fields of Peril: Child Labor in US
Agriculture
White House is being pressed to reverse
course and join landmine ban
Mark Landler
New York
Times May 7, 2010 Also see
Waking from the nightmare: towards a mine-free Mozambique
BBC News; the
International Campaign to Ban Landmines; and the
US Campaign to Ban Landmines
HBO
documentary about Sergio Vieira de Mello airs May 2010, beginning May 6
Reviewed by Steven Hansch, World
Hunger Education Service
New immigration proposal by Democratic senators would bar illegal immigration
and provide much greater enforcement, including a new 'bionic chip' social
security card containing personal data that all US citizens would be required to
present when applying for a job Julia Preston
New York Times April 6, 2010
Arizona governor signs tough immigration bill requiring police to question
anyone who appears to be in US illegally Anne E.
Kornblut and Spencer S. Hsu Washington Post April 24, 2010

Kimberly E. Kaplan, with her son, Landon, is running out of
cash assistance. She recently received a notice telling her that she and her
three children were about to lose their monthly welfare benefit of $584 because
they had reached the time limit on cash assistance and she had not made adequate
efforts to find work. Photo: Ryan Conaty/New York Times
Stringent requirements have limited Temporary Assistance to Needy Families to families in spite of high unemployment Robert Pear
New York Times April 6, 2010
See
Hunger Notes special report: The world financial, food and hunger crisis
US and Brazil reach last-minute, temporary agreement on cotton dispute (the WTO found the US
unfairly subsidizing its cotton growers; Brazil was set to impose WTO-approved
sanctions violating US
intellectual property rights) Sewell Chan
New York Times April 6, 2010
See
Hunger Notes special report: Trade and hunger
Cities, states and the federal government pay more to provide the homeless with
short-term shelter and services than it would cost to rent permanent housing,
government study finds Marisol Bello USA Today
March 25, 2010
Stringent requirements have limited Temporary Assistance to Needy Families to families in spite of high unemployment Robert Pear
New York Times April 6, 2010
See
Hunger Notes special report: The world financial, food and hunger crisis
In health care bill, Obama attacks wealth inequality David Leonhardt
New York Times March 23, 2010
Obama
adamant on need for health care reform, saying millions cannot wait another
generation for health insurance BBC News February 27, 2010
See
Hunger Notes special report: The world financial, food and hunger crisis

Tens of thousands of immigrants and advocates marched on the National Mall to
urge Congress and President Obama to reform immigration policy. Protestors would
like the United States to offer its 10.8 million illegal immigrants a path to
citizenship. Photo: Washington Post
Broad coalition packs mall to urge overhaul of immigration laws N.C.
Aizenman Washington Post March 22, 2010
Arizona becomes the first state to eliminate its state children's health
insurance program (S-CHIP) due to budget difficulties--more than 47,000 poor children
will now be without coverage Kevin Sack New York
Times March 18, 2010
More on S-CHIP, the 50-state health insurance program for
poor children.
See
Hunger Notes special report: The world financial, food and hunger crisis

Charles Moore photographed
the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1958 arrest in Montgomery,
Ala. King's wife, Coretta, is second from right.
Photo: (© Charles Moore/Black Star)
Charles Moore, 79, dies; photographed civil rights violence
Patricia Sullivan Washington Post
March 14, 2010
More photos See Hunger Notes
special report:
Harmful economic systems
Millions of Americans are out of work, out of savings, and at the end of their
unemployment compensation, with no jobs in sight Peter S. Goodman New York Times February 18, 2010
See
Hunger Notes special report: The world financial, food and hunger crisis
States consider Medicaid cuts as use grows Kevin Sack and Robert
Pear New York Times February 18, 2010
See
Hunger Notes special report: The world financial, food and hunger crisis
El Paso and Ciudad Juárez, border towns on each side of the Rio Grande, are
worlds apart in violence caused by drug importation to the United States
Dan Barry New York Times February 13, 2010
See the New York Times series 'War without borders' on drug
trafficking between Mexico and the United States. Also see Hunger Notes special
report:
Harmful economic systems

Patrons line up grocery carts to wait for the opening of a food pantry in
Harlem. After a U-turn in the politics of poverty, food stamps, a program once
scorned as “welfare,” enjoys broad new support. Following deep cuts in the
1990s, Congress reversed course to expand eligibility, cut red tape and burnish
the program’s image, with a special effort to enroll the working poor. These
changes, combined with soaring unemployment, have pushed enrollment to record
highs, with one in eight Americans now getting aid. Photo: Stephen Crowley/New
York Times
Once stigmatized, food stamps find acceptance
Jason DeParle
and Robert Gebeloff
New York Times February 10, 2010
See
Hunger Notes special report: The world financial, food and hunger crisis
US officials hopeful China will make concessions on currency. (Undervalued
Chinese currency has led to US trade deficits with China, and loss of US jobs.)
John Pomfret Washington Post February 5, 2010
Lt. Gov.
Andre Bauer of South Carolina : "Don't feed the poor. They'll breed."
YouTube January 22, 2010
The poor are powerless and thus we remain silent about Bauer's remarks
(Commentary) Leonard Pitts Jr. Miami Herald
February 3, 2010
Demand overwhelms program to prevent homelessness Tony Pugh
McClatchy Newspapers January 12, 2010
Recession hitting Ohio's former steel towns hard Anne Hull
Washington Post December 17, 2009

According to data issued this month by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, the number of children living in homes without enough food soared
in 2008 from 13 million to nearly 17 million. Photo: Mark Gail/Washington Post
Child hunger, called the 'silent epidemic,' is an increasingly complex problem
Amy Goldstein
Washington Post December 12, 2009
See
Hunger Notes special report: The world financial, food and hunger crisis
Obama preparing new push to add jobs, tackle deficit David Cho and
Michael A. Fletcher Washington Post December 8, 2009
A plea to Congress on jobless benefits Eric Eckholm New York Times December
7, 2009
Obama turns to unemployment and job creation, but warns of limited funds
Jackie Calmes New York Times December 3, 2009

Johnny Williams has scrubbed his résumé of any details that might
tip off his skin color. Photo: Damon Winter/The New York Times
In job hunt, college degree cannot close racial gap Michael Luo New York Times
November 30, 2009
Anti-trust scrutiny
for Monsanto: patented seeds are go-to for farmers, who decry their fast-growing
price Peter Whoriskey
Washington Post November 28, 2009
See Hunger Notes special report: Trade
and hunger

Greg Dawson considers himself lucky to still have work, as a
night-shift electrician installing lights in a chain of grocery stores. He lives
in the house he's building in Martinsville, Ohio, with his wife, Sheila, and
their five children, and they get a $300 benefit through the food stamps
program. "It's embarrassing," said Mr. Dawson, 29. "I always thought it was
people trying to milk the system. But we just felt like we really needed the
help right now."
Photo: Stephen Crowley/The New York Times
Across the United States, food stamp use soars and stigma fades--program now
helps feed one in eight Americans and one in four children Jason
DeParle and Robert Gebeloff New York Times November
28, 2009
More photos
Nearly 50 million people in the United States -- including almost one child in four -- struggled last
year to get enough to eat, Department of Agriculture says Amy Goldstein
Washington Post November 17, 2009
See
Hunger Notes special report: The world financial, food and hunger crisis
Administration names agriculture official to run the United States Agency
for International Development, ending long delay Mark Landler New York Times November
10, 2009
See Hunger Notes
special report on development assistance
US unemployment rate hits 10.2%; broader unemployment measure (including
discouraged workers and part-time employees who want to be full-time) reaches
17.5% David Leonhardt New York Times November 6, 2009
Why won't the Obama administration pay people to work? Alec MacGillis
Washington Post November 8, 2009 (opinion)

Shane Palmer, right, kisses his fiancé, Maria Maior outside the
storage unit they are living in with her 12-year-old son in a northwest Chicago
suburb. The family of three splits time between their storage unit and motels
following a job loss and a string of bad luck.
Photo: David Pierini/ ChicagoTribune
Homeless students: increasingly, families taking shelter anywhere they can
Bonnie Miller Rubin Chicago Tribune October 28, 2009
See more videos and pictures on
hunger and poverty in the United States.
See Hunger Notes
special report: the world financial, food and hunger crisis

Clinton Anchors, 18, in Medford, Ore., has been on his own,
living in the streets and camping in the woods since he was 12. Photo: Monica
Almeida/The New York Times
Recession drives
surge in youth runaways Ian Urbina New York Times October
25, 2009
How teens
in Medford Oregon who have left home get by (video)
See more videos and pictures on
hunger and poverty in the United States.
See Hunger Notes
special report: the world financial, food and hunger crisis
As unemployment rises, Obama aides consider 'safety net' options Jackie
Calmes New York Times October 5, 2009
See
Hunger Notes special report: the world financial, food and hunger crisis

Naramaya Chimoria, 72, keeps an eye on some children. In a role
reversal, the older refugees tend to rely on the younger adults — who are more
likely to speak English — to navigate the city. Photo: Suzanne DeChillo/The New
York Times
Bhutan refugees find a toehold in the Bronx Kirk Semple New York
Times September 24, 2009
The United States spent $75 billion over the past year to finance worldwide
intelligence operations (by contrast, funding for the State Department and
foreign aid was $33 billion) Walter Pincus
Washington Post September 17, 2009
US role as top arms supplier grows as it increases its share to more than
two-thirds of all arms deals Thom Shanker New York
Times September 6, 2009
See
Hunger Notes special report on development assistance
An estimated 45,000 people die each year in the United States because they do
not have health insurance and thus receive less medical care, study says
Elizabeth Cooney Boston Globe September 18, 2009
Norman Borlag, plant scientist who fought famine, dies at 95 Justin
Gillis New York Times September 21, 2009
US poverty rose, median income declined,
and job-based health insurance continued to weaken in 2008 Arloc Sherman, Robert Greenstein, Danilo Trisi and Paul N. Van de Water
Center for Budget and Policy Priorities September 10, 2009
See the US Census Bureau report
Christian law professor runs for office in Alabama--says both state and national
taxes violate moral and ethical standards, being unjust to the poor
EthicsDaily.com September 3, 2009

Her family is facing eviction, but Charity Crowell, 9, and her
younger brother are enrolled in elementary school in Asheville, N.C Photo: Fred
R. Conrad/The New York Times
Surge in homeless children strains school districts Erick Eckholm
New York Times September 5, 2009
Low-wage workers are often cheated, study says--68 percent of workers
interviewed experienced one or more pay violations in the previous week,
including payment less than minimum wage, and overtime pay
violations Steven Greenhouse New York Times September 1, 2009

Familes receive food at a
food distribution organized every month by
Hope for the Heart in
Hayward. Many people begin lining up for food the day before, and sleep
overnight on the sidewalk in order to make sure they get their food before it
runs out. Photo: David Bacon
Hungry families sleep on the
sidewalk, waiting for food in Hayward California (photos) David Bacon
August 15, 2009
More financial, food, and hunger crisis stories

A homeless couple who are making their life in the flood channels beneath the
Las Vegas Strip. Many would rather live there than face the troubles above.
Photo: Isaac Brekken/New York Times
Attacks on homeless bring push on hate crime laws Eric Lichtblau New York Times
August 5, 2009

After losing their jobs, Scott and Kelly Nichols watched their finances and
options dwindle, eventually making the tough decision to move their family to
Kelly's mother's basement in Michigan. Photo: Washington Post See article
for further pictures
For many Americans, nowhere to go but down Paul Schwartzman
Washington Post August 5, 2009

A family cell for undocumented immigrants at the T. Don Hutto Residential
Center, a former state prison near Austin, Tex., that drew an
American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit and scathing news coverage for
putting young children behind razor wire.. The government will stop sending
families there. Photo: L.M. Otero/New York Times
US government plans to overhaul immigration detainee system that currently
places 400,000 people each year in 350 jails and prisons Nina Bernstein New York Times
August 5, 2009

Inmates squeeze into rows of bunk beds at San Quentin. Federal judges have said
California prisons are so crowded that they constitute cruel and unusual
punishment. Photo: Eric Risberg/Associated Press
Federal judges order California to release 43,000 inmates, calling prison
conditions inhumane and unconstitutional Carol J. Williams Los
Angeles Times August 5, 2009
House approves food safety bill after wave of food borne illnesses over last
three years. No Senate bill as yet. Lyndsey Layton Washington Post
July 29, 2009
Leadership vacancy raises fears about USAID's future Mary Beth Sheridan
Washington Post August 5, 2009
More development
assistance stories
Unemployment insurance is about to end for 1.5 million Americans, for many their
last bulwark against foreclosures and destitution Eric Eckholm New York Times
August 1, 2009
House approves food safety bill after wave of food borne illnesses over last
three years. No Senate bill as yet. Lyndsey Layton Washington Post
July 29, 2009

Steven Sullivan, right, was given a job with the Tennessee Department of
Transportation after Perry County received federal stimulus money. Photo: Josh
Anderson/New York Times
US stimulus package actually creates jobs in one Tennessee county through use of
Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) funds--jobless rate drops to 22
percent Michael Cooper New York Times
July 27, 2009
Jobless checks for millions delayed as states struggle Jason DeParle New York Times
July 23, 2009
Democrats drop key part of bill to assist unions Steven Greenhouse New York Times
July 16, 2009
Obama tells fellow blacks: no excuses for failure Sheryl Gay
Stolberg New York Times
July 16, 2009

President
Obama addressed the Ghanaian Parliament at the Accra International Conference
Center on Saturday. Photo: Paul Loeb/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
Obama gives a call for change to a rapt Africa Peter Baker New York Times
July 7, 2009

The Maldonado family had been living without gas, electricity or hot water, but
did not move out until the school year ended. Photo: Rob Bennett/New York Times
Summer brings a wave of homeless families Julie Bosman New York Times
July 7, 2009

Adam Gaines, right, who spent over 13 years in prison, with his sons, Shane,
left, and Adam Jr. “I didnt have a role model,” said Adam Jr., who quit high
school. Photo: Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times
In prisoners' wake, a tide of troubled kids Erik Eckholm New York Times
July 4, 2009
Safety net is fraying for the very poor Erik Eckholm New York Times
July 4, 2009
With something for everyone (compromises, carveouts and out and out gifts),
energy bill passes the House John M. Broder New York Times
June 30, 2009 See Hunger Notes special report
Global issues: the earth, the
environment, and poor people
Too poor to make the news Barbara Ehrenreich New York Times
June 13, 2009
More financial, food, and hunger crisis stories
Nearly 20 million students now receive free or low cost school lunches, an all
time high. Many school districts struggle to cover their share of the
meal's rising costs. Peter Eisler and Elizabeth Weise USA TODAY June 11, 2009
More financial, food, and hunger crisis stories
Obama reaches out to Muslim world BBC News June 4, 2009

A foreclosed home on Barclay Street in Baltimore. The city is
suing Wells Fargo Bank over its mortgage lending practices in black
neighborhoods. Photo: Matt Roth/New York Times
Wells Fargo bank accused of pushing high-interest subprime mortgages on African
Americans
in Baltimore Michael Powell
New York Times June 6, 2009
More financial, food, and hunger crisis stories

Video: Homeless victims of credit crunch Across the US, a new
generation of homeless has been created by the credit crunch. Families have lost
their homes, and with no safety net, more and more are entering the shelter
system. Dumeetha Luthra went to the Bronx and followed Kara Gonzalez and her
five children as they move to their third shelter since losing their home last
June. Dumeetha Luthra BBC News
Little new in Obama's immigration policy Spencer S. Hsu Washington Post May
20, 2009
Study says anti-union tactics are becoming more common Steven Greenhouse New York Times May 19, 2009
Not enough Congressional votes to pass bill making it easier to join a labor
union, Obama says Stephen Dinan Washington Times May 14, 2009

Time is money, and both are in short supply: Quintin Strange,
left, and Kenneth Thomas say they've cut back their weekly laundering to every
third week because of the recession.
Photo: Lois Raimondo/Washington Post)
It's expensive to be poor! No car, no washing machine, no checking account and
no break from fees and high prices! DeNeen L. Brown Washington Post May 18, 2009
Food companies try to guarantee the safety of their
products, but increasingly cannot Michael Moss New York Times May 14, 2009

Ellen Evans led a game for her fourth-grade Spanish class in New York, where
Harlem's Children Zone started. Photo: Essdras M Suarez/Boston Globe
President Obama and Boston non-profits hope to replicate Harlem's Children Zone
in Boston and elsewhere James Vaznis Boston Globe May 1,
2009

In Immokalee, Fla., hundreds of day laborers work in the tomato
fields. Bon Appétit Management promises to boycott Florida tomatoes if growers
do not agree to improve conditions and increase pay for these workers. Photo
Washington Post.
Food company will boycott Florida tomatoes if growers do not increase wages and
improve working conditions for workers Jane Black
Washington Post April 29, 2009

One location where a Chicago food bank is helping feed people
that need food. Photo: BBC
See complete video
Poverty hits African Americans hard BBC News April 23, 2009
See video
Detroit's long road to ruin BBC News April 21, 2009
Study says Pentagon's Africa Command needs to refine mission, citing fears that
it will militarize US foreign policy in Africa Eric Schmitt New York Times March
25, 2009
Amnesty
International lambastes U.S. for treatment of immigrant detainees-- charges the
federal government violates human rights by allowing tens of thousands of people
to languish in custody every year without receiving hearings to determine
whether their detention is warranted Ken McLaughlin
Mercury News March 24, 2009
See Amnesty report
China worried about US debt: biggest creditor nation demands a guarantee. (China
owns $1 trillion in US bonds.) Anthony Faiola Washington
Post March 14, 2009
One in
50 children now homeless Cynthia Hubert
Sacramento Bee March 10, 2009
US downturn dragging world into recession Anthony Faiola Washington
Post March 9, 2009
Texas Gov. Rick Perry rejects stimulus money for jobless claims, citing
unacceptable rule changes that would broaden who may receive unemployment benefits
Christy Hoppe and Robert T. Garrett Dallas Morning News March 13,
2009
US unemployment rate leaps to 8.1 percent--highest since 1983 Neil Irwin
and Annys Shin Washington
Post March 7, 2009 Both
parties love big government: Ronald Reagan increased government spending by 69
percent, Bill Clinton by 32 percent, and George W. Bush by 68
percent Steven Thomma McClatchy Newspapers March
5, 2007
Obama's budget: taxing for fairness or class warfare? Maura
Reynolds Los Angeles Times February 28, 2009
Battle lines quickly set over planned policy shifts: budget, in addition to
addressing financial crisis, also marks largest ideological swing since Reagan
era Lori Montgomery Washington
Post March 1, 2009
Economy shrinks at staggering rate Annys Shin and Neil Irwin Washington
Post February 28, 2009
Search for your
local food bank Feeding
America is new name for America's Second Harvest (A2H)
Ex-foes of health care reform emerge as supporters Ceci Connolly Washington
Post March 6, 2008
Obama proposes $634 billion fund for health care as a big step to universal
coverage Ceci Connolly Washington
Post February 26, 2008
To pay for health care, Obama looks to taxes on rich Jackie Calmes
and Robert Pear
New York Times February 25, 2009

The US may be moving towards a mixed system of procuring food
aid, with food purchases not only in the US, but also in developing countries as
well. Photo: IRIN
Winds
of change in US food aid policy? IRIN March 5, 2009
See more food aid and development
aid stories
One out
of 31 Americans is in prison, or on parole or probation, at a cost to states of
$47 billion in 2009 Solomon Moore
New York Times March 2, 2009
CIA adds global financial crisis to daily threat updates for President Obama:
growing CIA belief that economic meltdown is now principal security threat
Joby Warrick Washington
Post February 26, 2009
Liberal and conservative Christian groups bridge some differences in new
collaborative efforts to fight poverty in the United States Jane
Lampman Christian Science Monitor February 16, 2008

William Kittrell, 62, receives a meal from Chris DeSouza, 17,
through the Campus Kitchen program at the District's Gonzaga College High
School. Bill O'leary/Washington Post
A fresh look at how best to get food to 35 million hungry Americans Megan
Greenwell Washington
Post January 24, 2009
Senate passes health care bill to provide health insurance to 11 million
low-income children, for the first time spending federal money to cover children
and pregnant women who are legal immigrants Ceci Connolly Washington
Post January 30, 2009
Congress set to renew health care for children Robert Pear New York Times
January 12, 2009

President Barack Obama visits an emergency homeless shelter
for teenagers in the nation's capital. Photo: Washington Post
Thousands heed Obama's call for a day of public service to honor Martin Luther
King's birthday Nikita Stewart and Susan Kinzie Washington
Post January 20, 2009
Joint Chiefs chairman urges limit on mission of military, strengthening of US
civilian agencies responsible for diplomacy and overseas economic development
Thom Shanker New York Times January 12, 2009
See more on the US military role in developing countries
Jobless rate hits 7.2%, a 16-year high Louis Uchitelle New
York Times January 9, 2009
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