Emma+M’s+Final+AmEx+2015+Speech

In the America I want to grow old in, I want less people to be hungry. It is unfair that some people have too much food and they let that food go to waste while others barely have enough to keep their families alive. Organizations like Food Share, which is our local food bank, helps struggling families have meals when they need it. Food Share is one food bank under a larger corporation called Feeding America. Feeding America serves about 46.5 million people in need across the United States. From a young age my family and I have always participated in Food Shares annual holiday events where we have been packing canned goods into boxes and even delivering them to families in Ventura. It really opens your eyes and shows you that even some people, maybe even some people in this school are struggling with hunger right now.
 * Title of Speech: Hunger in America **
 * Text of Speech: **

Some ways people are put into this unfortunate situation of malnutrition is through on obvious way, poverty. When someone is living in poverty they don’t have enough food to feed their family usually due to their lack of a job or infrequent source of income. Based on research done at Feeding America it was found that “72 percent of all Feeding America client households live at… the federal poverty line”. This astounding number shows that malnutrition and poverty go hand in hand. The poverty families face forces them to get the cheapest meals, which unfortunately are usually fast food restaurants. We all know from the countless forced hours in EDA freshman year about how bad fast food is, and that a large quantity is easily purchased for little money. But what we might not have realized is that the number of kids around us struggling to find good healthy food is staggering. An astounding 84% of Feeding America’s clients say they purchase cheep food for their children just to survive even when they know it is not the healthiest option. The number one estimated population of food-insecure children is just an hour away in LA County. 1 in every 4 children in LA County is food-insecure which totals around 600,000 children. We often think that hunger and poverty only happens far away in places like Africa and never in America. I’m not discounting the thousands of starving children in Africa, but there are also starving children living in our community.

Another way that food insecure families struggle with getting nutritious food is not only the cost difference but also that chain fast food restaurants are more likely to be closer to their homes. If a family walks or rides their bikes to go get groceries or dinner, it would make much more sense to go to the countless McDonalds found on every street rather than having to trek all the way to somewhere like Lassen’s for a good meal. This reality is sad. I feel that in America we should provide more access to fresh produce and healthy food and create less dependence on junk food. This is also found to be hard not only in poverty stricken homes but the fast food epidemic is happening world wide with nearly 83% of U.S. consumers dining at a quick-service restaurant at least once a week. Children especially have been forced into the fast food world by constant advertisements and commercials promoting fast food. Few kids would rather eat a nice salad with lots of vegetables rather then a hamburger and fries. My cousin even who is 4 now loves Wendy’s cheeseburgers and this is basically all she will eat. This is ironic however because both my aunt and uncle are extremely athletic and healthy but when she won’t eat anything they have to give in. Now I know this story differs from the one of children having to eat fast food to survive because of the cost of healthy food. But this story of my 4-year-old cousin makes the point that through television and ads she has seen fast food glorified and simply can’t get enough of it.

Again, the America I want to live in is an America where more food is accessible to food insecure families through organizations like Food Share and not only enough food to survive but enough to survive and be healthy as well. A way I hope to change this is to not only raise awareness to this problem of hunger through this speech but also to continue to participate in activities put on through Food Share and other food banks. I also think we need to find a way to get healthy food more easily accessible to children and families struggling financially. I know this is all easier said and done but as Gloria Pitzer said, “The only thing that comes to us without effort is old age.”


 * Cite your sources: feedingamerica.org **