New York City hunger levels 'rising'

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7106726.stm

Over 1.3 million people, one in six New Yorkers, cannot afford enough food, with queues at soup kitchens getting longer, anti-poverty groups say.

The New York City Coalition Against Hunger says the number of people who use food pantries and soup kitchens in the city increased by 20% in 2007.

Some of the food distribution points are struggling to meet demand.

The coalition blames the situation mainly on increased poverty as well as government cutbacks in food aid.

No Thanksgiving turkey

"This annual survey of food pantries and soup kitchens shows that more working families, children, and seniors are being forced to seek emergency food," Joel Berg, the coalition's executive director, said in a statement.

"Given that hunger continued to increase in the city, even when the economy was still strong last year, it is no wonder that now, when the economy is weakening, lines at pantries and kitchens are getting even worse."

Some food outlets said they would not be able to distribute turkey rations for Thanksgiving on Thursday, because their federal supplies of food had been cut by as much as three-quarters.

Food Bank, a non-profit organisation which distributes food to about 1,000 pantries, said its shelves were half full compared with usual levels.

According to a survey, 59% of New York's food programmes, up from 48% last year, said they did not have enough resources to meet demand.

The US Department of Agriculture says 12.6 million households nationwide, or more than 30 million people - 10% of the population - did not have enough food at some point in 2006.

[buzzard]

One thing that has always pissed me off is the people who drive up to the food outlets and dinners in their fancy cars and take food away from people who really depend on the service. They've even taken more than one person's share with them in bags as they leave. Then a few of them wonder why they've been smacked after they've left the premises~!

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I haven't seen the behavior you describe, but with the economy going straight to hell, it wouldn't surprise me to learn that people who were well off and owned "fancy cars" have fallen on hard times.

[PattyLee loves dogs]

One thing that has always pissed me off is the people who drive up to the food outlets and dinners in their fancy cars

How do you think we afford our fancy cars  ? Seriously, lots of people have shiny cars and big houses... and are hopelessly in debt.

more than 30 million people - 10% of the population - did not have enough food

Probably 90% of these people have ten times the income of a Third Worlder... they're just buying Twinkies instead of rice and beans. (Of course I've never done this  )