Fast Food

One of the main reasons for child obesity and people not getting the nutrition they need is the extreme amount of fast food restaurants, where food is cheap, tastes good, and is easy to get. This problem is rapidly growing in inner cities. This large amount of fast food restaurants is linked to areas with higher rates of diabetes and other health problems.

One of the main causes of this problem is that fast food chains market their food to African American and poor children, especially males. This is seen in many fast food chains offering toys with their food, and play areas inside.

Often low-income families get fast food regularly because its so much cheaper and they cant afford the healthy food, or don't have access to a grocery store (read my post on food deserts for more info on this issue). Because children of low income families grow up eating this food, they are more likely to have health problems that are expensive, and because they are in a low income family that is less likely to get the treatment they need.

There are so many more problems created by fast food restaurants, but those are just the major ones. This can be stopped by creating easier access to affordable healthy food to minority and low income communities.

Homeless Women

This post is a collaboration with Who Rules the World, a blog about female stereotypes, roles in society, and much more.

An article posted back in October by the LA Times explains how 1 in 3 homeless people in LA are women. This number of more than 14,000 women is 55% higher than the total in 2013. Some of the reasons for this rise are due to higher rents and domestic violence. Homeless women are more likely to face violence, whether in shelters or on the streets. Half of homeless women interviewed in LA had been abused, and a quarter of them had been sexually assaulted. The programs in LA to get homeless of the street are mainly for veterans or families, there's little help for these women. Many shelters are designed for male clients, and women often feel scared or intimidated staying in them.

Feel free to read the entire article at this link http://www.latimes.com/projects/la-me-homeless-women/

Hunger in Latin America and the Caribbean

Latin America and the Caribbean are the area that has the most decrease in umbers of food insecurity. The percentage of people who are hungry fell from 14.7% in 1990-93 to 7.9% in 2010-2013.The region was the first to commit to the complete eradication of hunger through the 2025 Hunger-Free Latin America and the Caribbean Initiative (HFLACI)  This is largely in part to a staggering economic growth in the region, and to the fact that the government perceived the idea of eradicating hunger as an achievable goal. Many of the initiatives being taken in these countries are being used in other countries now. The Food and Agriculture Organization is closely watching the strategies being used in this area, and trying to get other countries to be like them.

Inspiration

Hunger Close to Home

As a Massachusetts residents I'm very concerned about the people living in poverty in my state. For most Massachusetts residents struggling with hunger they have a job and make enough money to pay for things like rents or electricity, but struggle to provide food for themselves or their family. This is in large part due to the recession in 2008. One statistic that I find makes this concept easier to understand is from a quote posted by Project Bread on their website. "In 2003, almost everybody who was working forty hours a week in Massachusetts could expect to earn enough to cover the basics: food on the table and a roof overhead. Only those who were not working, the elderly, and those with chronic disabilities were the faces of hunger in our state. But the Great Recession–and the attendant increase in income inequality–changed that. By 2014, a second and distinct population–low-wage workers–significantly added to the ranks of households that struggle to put food on the table. Today, the rate of household food insecurity is 71% higher than it was a decade ago, with no sign of improvement."

Someone who works full time shouldn't be struggling to put food on the table for their family, and Project Bread has come up with ways to help stop this. First we need to realize that the people who need help should be treated with respect, not pity. We need to tech families to cook meals that are healthy and affordable. Low-cost breakfast and lunch served to children at school would also be a big help to many families. Food pantries should be set up across the state in case of an emergency where a family can no longer afford food. Lastly, we need to stand up for low-wage workers and their right to be able to afford food.

Real Stories

As I talk about in many of my stories, last summer I went on a service trip to Washington D.C. to help the homeless and those living in poverty. This post isn't really to tell you a story that is inspiring and influence you to volunteer, but to warn you about something that could happen while working with the homeless and how to get yourself out of this situation. One warm night in D.C. I went out and volunteered at McKenna's Wagon, a truck that travels around the city to feed the homeless. I have never worked with this particular organizations, but it was similar to ones I've worked at in the past so I wasn't very nervous. But in the middle of my service, things changed.

At the beginning everything was fine. I was ladling the soup into boxes that they could take, then handing them a spoon and a napkin. Like most service projects it became routine. Occasionally someone would ask me my name or about my day, and I would respond casually with a smile. But one man kept trying to talk to me. He said that I had a beautiful smile. At first I was flattered and thanked him for his kind words, but then it became weird. He said how I should be in the movies in Hollywood, and that he would take me there. It was clear to the person supervising that I had become uncomfortable, so she yelled at the man to go away and had me go back in the van to make sandwiches. I don't want you to think that this happens al the time, because in my multiple service projects I have only felt scared this once. Like in all aspects in life you meet people that aren't always who you should help.

If you are ever in this situation where you feel uncomfortable you should get out of it immediately. This is also another reason you should never go out alone, because you never know who you might encounter. I was lucky to have someone there who knew how to handle the situation, and I want everyone else to also have that. My blog is to encourage you to help others, but to also make sure you are safe while doing so.

Helping the Homeless

Recently in my journalism class we had a project to make short documentaries. One group made theirs on the homeless in America. I will post the link to the documentary below, and I encourage you to watch it. I will warn you that its very sad, but its also very eye opening. The video has many personal stories of homeless people making it very true, but also many statistics making it very factual. After you watch it be sure to leave your thoughts on it in the comments!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fowasp3_Qiw&t=326s

*Special thanks to the creators of this documentary :)