.....But the Cupboard was Bare.

"Some 691,000 children went hungry in America sometime in 2007, while close to one in eight Americans struggled to feed themselves adequately even before this year’s sharp economic downturn, the Agriculture Department reported Monday."

According to this article, at MSNBC, that is nearly 700,000 children. With the economic climate the way it is, more people losing their jobs.....how can it get any better?

• The families with the highest rates of food insecurity were headed by single mothers (30.2 percent), black households (22.2 percent), Hispanic households (20.1 percent), and households with incomes below the official poverty line (37.7 percent).
• States with families reporting the highest prevalence of food insecurity during 2005-2007 were Mississippi (17.4 percent), New Mexico (15 percent), Texas (14.8 percent) and Arkansas (14.4 percent).
• The highest growth in food insecurity over the last 9 years came in Alaska and Iowa, both of which saw a 3.7 percent increase in families who struggled to eat adequately or had substantial food disruptions.

Having been on food stamps at one time in my life I know that there are those that take advantage, but there are those who are really in need. There may be those families that might make just $50 dollars over the limit that is considered eligible. That is sad. It is hard to take that extra few bucks and even be able to buy food when you have to think about a place to live and utilities too!

With the cost of food continuing to go up I can not even imagine how some people will manage this craziness. I spend less money and find it far less stressful when John is out of the country traveling because I have far less food to buy. When Max goes in to the Navy it will be even less costly for me. I can not imagine how families with more than one child are able to do it.

When I go the store, these days, I can see the price changes from week to week. You have to really plan and pick and choose what you buy and where you shop. People can complain all they want about Wal*Mart, but aside from the "bag your own" place I shop, it is the only other place to go with cheaper prices. The two big name grocery stores are so expensive! I can not even believe that I used to shop at them! Even their "off brands" or no name store brands are still higher than where I shop now.

I know the pressure that I used to feel to feed my kid and have food in the house, I have great empathy for those trying to do the same in these tough economic times. It is bad enough to be hungry yourself, but it is even more stressful when you feel that you can not provide enough for you kids and they have to see empty cupboards or miss meals.