Hunger. A Choice No One Should Have to Make

Contact:
Susan Hofer, 312/263-2303, ext. 127
312/286-5982 (cell)
Julie Craven, Hormel Foods, 507/437-5345

Chicago, IL -- August 15, 2002 -- In a single moment tens of thousands of parents in America make the choice to spend their limited cash resources on food for their children or on the other basic necessities of life: housing, medical care, or utilities. America's Second Harvest, ConAgra Foods' Feeding Children Better Foundation and the Ad Council's newly released public service ads focus on the results of that decision - and the child hunger that frequently follows.

America's Second Harvest cannot ease the pain these families face when making tough choices but more than 50,000 agencies providing emergency assistance see the results of those choices every day. Hunger in America: 2001, the most comprehensive study of hunger-relief charities ever undertaken, found that half (45%) of the people seeking food assistance have to choose between paying utilities or buying food. More than 35% choose between buying food and paying their rent or mortgage and almost one third (30%) chose between medical care and groceries.

As families struggle to meet the needs of their families, hunger-relief charities have seen demands for emergency food assistance grow during the past year. "These families have worked hard, played by the rules, and begun the long road to self-sufficiency. Unfortunately, more and more of them are finding hunger the choice their families must make, "said Robert Forney, President and CEO of America's Second Harvest.

The dog days of summer come with bigger air conditioning bills; higher prices of 'back-to-school' shoes, notebooks and backpacks; reduced hours at local medical clinics and fewer slots for subsidized day-care. And, as the economy sputters into the fall and winter, housing costs continue to rise, with rental units becoming scarcer. These are expenses low-income families can ill afford. Each unexpected bill results in parents making choices that put at risk being able to afford the nutritious food necessary for good health of their children.

In the coming months, at every level of government, elected leaders will face budget shortfalls that could make family choices even more difficult. As summer winds down, and government decisions are reached, millions of working families will make the tough decisions to pay for everything but the food they need to keep their families healthy.

At the federal level welfare reform will be debated and adding prescription drug coverage to Medicare is being considered. Funding decisions will be reached on 'safety net' programs ranging from summer meals for children, housing vouchers for rental units, to vital utility assistance for low-income families.

At state and local levels, the hard choices will continue. States face huge budget shortfalls resulting from the weaker economy. Many have chosen to reduce staff levels for vital services: food stamp outreach workers, job training specialists, direct payments to charities providing housing, day-care and medical assistance.