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In "Food
Banks Fear They Will Fall Short in Efforts to Feed the Nation's Hungry," the
network of the nation's largest food banks gives us a different take on the
state of the economy than the one officialdom keeps feeding us (no pun
intended):
Higher Food and
Gas Prices and Decline in Government Food Donations Cited
Higher food
costs and rising gas prices could prove to be damaging to the nation's food
banks and their ability to provide adequate emergency food to the nearly 49
million Americans who are currently living at risk of hunger, Feeding
America, the network of the nation's largest food banks, announced today.
Although recent
reports indicate that the economy is beginning to improve and that the
unemployment rate is also beginning to shrink, Feeding America's food banks
continue to face significant struggles as America recovers from the worst
economic recession in decades.
The Feeding
America network of more than 200 food banks and 61,000 local partners are
feeding 37 million Americans a year, including nearly 14 million children and
3 million seniors. But with rising operating costs and decreasing supply, a
number of factors are contributing to a "perfect storm" of
challenges that threaten to leave food banks unable to meet the need in their
communities.
Gas prices
increased 26 percent in 2011, adding tremendous costs to transporting food.
Increased fuel costs particularly affect rural areas, where populations are
less dense. Many food banks support emergency feeding across a vast service
area.
Food inflation
is also hitting food banks hard. Grocery prices increased an average rate of
6 percent in the last half of 2011, and food banks have been hard pressed to
make up the difference.
But, but...I
thought there was no inflation (according to what Mr. Bernanke and others
keep telling us)?
And given that
the economy has been "recovering" for almost three years now, how
is it that there are still 49 million people who are living at risk of
hunger?
Are any of
these policymakers and politicians ever going to be called to account for
their B.S.?
Michael J. Panzner
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