By Bill Archer
For many, even in DuPage County, the answer is “No”.
September is Hunger Action Month. Why is that significant? Because, according to the organization Feeding America, over 68,000 DuPage County residents were classified as food insecure in 2015 (7.3% of the population). Projections for 2017 are even higher.
Food insecurity refers to USDA’s measure of lack of access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members and limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate foods. Food insecure households are not necessarily food insecure all the time. Food insecurity may reflect a household’s need to make trade-offs between important basic needs, such as housing or medical bills, and purchasing nutritionally adequate foods.
To help draw attention to this situation, and to mark the beginning of Hunger Action Month, St. Isidore Focus
on Hunger Ministry scheduled a Poverty Simulation in cooperation with AmeriCorps VISTAs (Volunteers in Service to America) and the Northern Illinois Food Bank. Due to lack of participation this event was cancelled. A minimum of forty participants was needed.
The Focus on Hunger Ministry here at St. Isidore focuses on hunger as a whole and looks at ways our St. Isidore community can make an impact beyond our current ministries or in unison with them. To learn more, visit: https://stisidoreparish.org/human-needs/hunger- ministries/
AmeriCorps is a national government-funded program aimed to make poverty history. AmeriCorps VISTAs are individuals who have committed a year of service to working with an organization to help fight poverty in America.
Northern Illinois Food Bank, a proud member of Feeding America, is the source of nutritious food, innovative feeding programs, and hope for more than 71,500 people each week.
