The New Face of Hunger

National Geographic • August 2014

On a gold-gray morning in Mitchell County, Iowa, Christina Dreier sends her son, Keagan, to school without breakfast. He is three years old, barrel-chested, and stubborn, and usually refuses to eat the free meal he qualifies for at preschool. Faced with a dwindling pantry, Dreier has decided to try some tough love: If she sends Keagan to school hungry, maybe he’ll eat the free breakfast, which will leave more food at home for lunch. Continue reading “The New Face of Hunger”

The New Face of Hunger (coverage)

“Talk of Iowa,” Iowa Public Radio • July 31, 2014

The irony is poignant that hunger exists in a state with the nation’s richest soil and the nation’s number-one ranking in corn and soybean production.   But despite the bounty around them, many Iowans experience what is now called “food insecurity.”   In simpler terms, they can’t find the means to feed themselves or their family, despite many having full-time jobs.  Continue reading “The New Face of Hunger (coverage)”

Hunger in the suburbs

“Radio Times,” WHYY – Philadelphia • July 16, 2014

Perhaps the most devastating aspect of living in poverty is being “food insecure,” a term devised by the government to describe those who are not always certain that they will have access to food.  15 percent of Americans are food insecure, and in Pennsylvania, that number is 12.5 percent, according to statistics from the Pennsylvania Hunger Action Center.  And the face of hunger is changing, with seemingly comfortable, suburban families needing to visit donation-based food pantry’s in order to make ends meet.  Today, we look at hunger in the suburbs with TRACIE McMILLAN, Continue reading “Hunger in the suburbs”

Shift to ‘Food Insecurity’ Creates Startling New Picture of Hunger in America

National Geographic Daily News Online • July 16, 2014

Her face was small and pitiful: a brown-eyed, blond-curled toddler, eyes darting, lying on a doctor’s table. First we saw her belly, rounder than her skinny legs would suggest, prodded by a physician. And then the camera pulled back, showing the filthy, caked bottoms of her feet. Continue reading “Shift to ‘Food Insecurity’ Creates Startling New Picture of Hunger in America”