Last week, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released its new annual report to Congress on homelessness in 2008.  While the results might not be surprising given what we know about the state of the economy, they are no less disturbing: on a single night in January 2008, 664,000 people in the U.S. were homeless – that is more than the entire population of the state of Vermont!

Nearly 60% of these homeless people were in a shelter or housing program, but the remaining 40% were unsheltered, meaning that they were on the streets, sleeping on park benches, under viaducts or other places not safe or fit for human habitation.

Other indicators show that economic matters are getting worse for Americans, so the most recent homelessness data (which lags many months) might not be truly reflective of current conditions.  Foreclosure activity is up 18% from May of 2008; for the third month in a row, more than 300,000 properties were foreclosed in May.  At the same time, unemployment numbers continue to rise: the June 2009 unemployment rate rose to 9.5%, meaning that 14.7 million Americans are unemployed.

My friends, the front pages and nightly news stories make me think we’ve not yet seen the end of the tunnel, much less the light at the end of the tunnel.  But every time we unload a truck at one of our food distributions or provide a backpack full of school supplies and books to homeless children, we are bringing hope to people suffering the economy’s harshest effects.  As more and more Americans suffer from job loss, foreclosure, and homelessness, we are more determined than ever to continue our mission.

I have some good news from Kenya.  As I boarded a plane on Friday, I learned that the G-8 nations’ leaders pledged $20 billion dollars to fund the global food security initiative - that is $5-$8 billion more than originally anticipated!   This new commitment of funds will help spur agricultural development activities in African nations over the next three years.  I am especially pleased to hear that this is a U.S.-sponsored plan and that President Obama pledged $3.5 billion dollars to lead the international effort.

This new commitment is good news.  I know that the “Green Revolution” that spurred agricultural advancement in Asia and Latin America can be replicated in Africa.  Even though the conditions in each African country are different, as a continent, Africa has twice the arable land of Europe.  Given the right support, Africa can feed its hungry children.  But the investments in agricultural development, markets and infrastructure haven’t been made to spur the same successes here.  This new pledge is an important step to help Africans feed Africans and for the children of Africa to flourish. 

I know that agricultural investments can’t come at the expense of direct food aid.  Both types of effort are needed and are important as the Apostle James tells us (James 2:15-17).  We must feed the hungry child in front of us now.  And we need to help the parents to grow food for tomorrow.  Seeds, fertilizers and technical assistance will bring prosperity and hope to the children and families of the world’s most impoverished countries. 

We can balance our work in Africa and remember that while we teach people to fish for tomorrow, we must also give them fish today so they can have the strength to grow, learn and prosper.  That’s why Feed The Children will continue its long history of emergency food aid and school feeding programs while simultaneously investing in community and agricultural efforts in Africa that support sustainable development.

I hope you’ll work with me to ensure that this new pledge of support from the G-8 will come about in meaningful ways for hungry children.

Can children be both overweight and undernourished?  In America, it seems they can. 

Sadly, the cheapest food is often the unhealthiest food. But for struggling families, cheap food is frequently all they can afford.

“The first items to drop out of the diet are usually healthy foods—fruit, vegetables, and high-quality sources of protein,” states Margaret Chan, director general of the World Health Organization.  “Nutrient-poor staples are often the cheapest way to fill hungry stomachs.”

Our generous corporate partners help us supply a wide range of high-quality food items to supplement the diets of impoverished American children.  To learn more about our work helping provide food to help American children and families, click here.