SEVEN COMMON HUNGER MYTHS

MYTH 1:           Hunger is not a problem in Lancaster County.

FACT:               In 1999-2000, 4,593 Lancaster County households participated in the Food Stamp program.  In 2003-2004, 6,582 households participated, a 43% increase in 5 years.  In 2004, 6,043 families received food from Lincoln’s Emergency Pantries System.  There are 23,621 people living below the poverty line in Lincoln, Nebraska. 

MYTH 2:           The reason people are hungry is because they are too lazy to work.

FACT:               The agencies of the Food Bank are seeing more and more working poor.

According to Federal standards, a family of four at an income of $19,350 is living at the poverty level.  This works out to $9.30 an hour.  The current minimum wage is $5.15 an hour.  Thousands of Lincolnites work for less than $9.13 an hour. 

MYTH 3:           Most Lancaster county residents who qualify for federal food assistance receive it.

FACT:               In 2003-2004 15,480 individuals per month participated in the Food Stamp Program.  That would be roughly 65% of our citizens who are living below the poverty line.  Thousands of Lancaster County residents are not participating in the Food Stamp Program.  

MYTH 5:           We don’t have hungry kids in Lincoln.

FACT:               During the 2004-2005 school year, 34% of the Elementary School Age children qualified for free or reduced lunch.  According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are 6,589 children under the age of 18 living below the poverty line in Lancaster County. 

MYTH 6:           It doesn’t hurt to go to bed hungry once in a while.

 FACT:              

·        Poor maternal and infant nutrition affect an infant’s birth weight, brain growth and overall health.  Everyone, regardless of age, is more lethargic and less resistant to illness when malnourished.  Hunger also has a devastating emotional impact.

·        Short-term nutritional deficiencies affect children’s ability to concentrate and perform complex tasks.

·        Children who are hungry often experience headaches, fatigue, frequent colds and other illnesses that may cause them to be less physically active.

·        Iron deficiency anemia, a form of malnutrition affecting nearly 25% of poor children in the United States, is associated with impaired cognitive development.

·        Children who are hungry may be less attentive and less curious. Many hungry children have difficulty concentrating, and therefore their reading ability and verbal and motor skills suffer.   

MYTH 7:      There is nothing I can do to eliminate hunger in Lancaster County.

FACT:               Individuals and groups can support hunger-ending efforts with time, talent, and treasure.  People can plant gardens that produce excess produce for the hungry.  Food businesses can donate excess food to the Food Bank of Lincoln.  We are working toward eliminating hunger in our area.

HELP THE FOOD BANK OF LINCOLN SET OUR COMMUNITY’S TABLES