Food or rent? That is the daily choice faced by about 1.2 million of New York’s 8.2 million people.
Faced with that choice, mostly they pay rent and rely on emergency or charity food to survive, poverty activists say.
“It’s a struggle,” said 53-year-old Pierre Simmons, who has a part-time job, as he wrapped up a bagel from his soup kitchen lunch for later. “I have a job, but the cost of living is so high it makes it hard to buy food.”
Hunger is not unique to New York. More than 12 million U.S. households — or 35 million Americans — struggled with hunger in 2005, according to the U.S. government.
While the city’s Wall Street bankers are due to collect nearly $24 billion (12.3 billion pounds) in bonuses this year, more than one-fifth of New Yorkers are battling to make ends meet below the national poverty line of $10,000 a year for an individual.
One quarter of New York’s 1.9 million children are living in poverty, 40 percent of families with children had difficulty affording food in 2005 and one-fifth of the city’s children rely on free food to survive, according to a report by the Food Bank For New York City.
It’s a terrible shame that these people and children struggle with hunger in a place where food is readily available. Unfortunately, that shame extends from New York to the entire United States – the most socially unequal nation in the world. Indeed, the shame even applies globally. We live in a world where there is more than enough food to feed everyone; why do 16,000 children die of hunger every day?
We live in a world in which strong and smart people go hungry. Obviously, these struggling people want out of hunger and poverty, but non-meritocratic social inequality denies them the opportunity. When we acknowledge the rampant non-meritocratic social inequality that plagues the world, we realize that the majority of us – not just the lowest-class minority – are oppressed by it.
As Lila Watson once said, “If you have come here to help me, then you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.”
More than anywhere, New York epitomizes the non-meritocratic social inequality that plagues the world and keeps the working-class overworked, the hungry hungry, and the children starving.
What do you think?
That true the problem is also big here in southern california I live in san diego Ca and every monday night I have the opertunity to visit with my friends and try to encourage them in this difficult time of there life. Some I have met are homless from the loss of a job or because they could not afford the price of rent. many are disabled either physicaly or mentaly and are unable to pay rent and food so they chose to eat. If you life in the area and want to spread the love come down. God Bless JOSH Rickert
I think we’re going to see the situation get worse before it gets better. To put things into “at home” perspective, I currently earn more than 30% less than what I earned in 1996–and that’s before making corrections for inflation and the incredible rise in cost of living that has occured over the last 10 years. If I am luckily to make the upcoming “career” change, then I will be making around 60% less than I did in 1996 before making the adjustments above mentioned. In order to combat these financial changes, I have taken in borders, and my husband works 3 jobs (about 80-100 hours per week on average).