Reading response: "Sweet Charity" by Janet Poppendeick

This week’s readings addressed the problem of poverty and hunger and the underlying causes of these issues. According to Poppendieck and data compiled by Second Harvest, the majority of people using food banks, soup kitchens and other food assistance programs are female and/or elderly and are often a racial minority. However due to economic cycles and widespread structural unemployment, it is becoming more common to see entire families looking for handouts and eating at soup kitchens. This is especially prevalent in areas that have been hit by the loss of a specific industry, such as the Iron Belt which was crippled by the recent downturn of the auto industry. In nearly all cases, the people assisted fall below the poverty line. This threshold is defined as the ability or inability to spend no more than one-third of your income to purchase nutritionally adequate food. Very few people spend that much of their income on food, so the standard is somewhat out-of-date.
Food banks, soup kitchens and similar assistance programs arose out of need. In previous times, a person or family needing help would turn to their church for assistance. Others would look to their neighbor, as sharing of resources was far more common, especially in rural, agricultural communities. Because such options are not as readily available now, assistance programs have been implemented.
The Social Constructionist view of hunger defines it as a societal problem, not simply a personal one that is caused by laziness, lack of motivation, etc. Hunger is instead seen as a symptom of a larger problem and is also used to project an image of the problem to all of society.
One thing that really caught my attention was the example of the abuse of food stamps. While the system is not perfect and never can be, there should be a way to prevent the misuse of food stamps in order for a person to purchase things such as liquor and cigarettes. In addition, I feel that unhealthy processed foods should be barred from the food stamp and other assistance programs. Instead, only allowing use of food stamps to purchase staples such as flour, pasta, beans, powdered milk, etc would encourage healthier eating habits and reduce health care costs that would likely fall to taxpayers anyway. It is not that difficult to cook healthy (and good) meals with a few basic ingredients, it just takes a little initiative and the desire to help yourself not depend on other people.

Discussion questions:

How could the food assistance program be revamped to prevent abuse of the system?

How has public perception of food assistance programs changed in the past few years, especially in light of the current economic situation?