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More Hungry and unprotected Americans. What can we do?

By Linda Eckhardt on July 12, 2012

The Census Bureau reports the number of Americans in poverty jumped to 15.1 percent in 2010, a 27-year high. About 46.2 million people, or nearly 1 in 6, were in poverty. That’s up from 43.6 million, or 14.3 percent, in 2009. It was the highest level since 1983.

We must take care of the least of these

The number of people lacking health insurance increased to 49.9 million, a new high after revisions were made to 2009 figures. Losses were due mostly to working-age Americans who lost employer-provided insurance in the weak economy.

These figures, now two years old and sliding deeper into the slough, prove why we must have Obamacare as well as a beefed up nutrition program that offers kids more free lunches not less.

For all our talk of locavore, and unprocessed foods, and pure foods, until we take steps to feed the poor and help them to stay healthy by access to a safe and sound food supply, and decent health coverage, it’s just so much sound and fury.

A society is measured by how well it takes care of its most vulnerable members. Remember, we must take care of “the least of these.”

Do your part. Call your congress person. Tell him/her to get behind Obamacare which continues to be attacked by the Tea Party crowd.

Remember them? The same ones who say “get the government out of my medicare!” Appalling.

You do not have to go to some third world country to find hunger and ill health. It’s here. Lets do something about it.

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About Linda Eckhardt

Linda West Eckhardt, is an award winning journalist, food writer, and nutritionist. Her more than 20 cookbooks have garnered prizes including the James Beard prize for the best cookbook for a text she wrote with her daughter, Katherine West DeFoyd, entitled Entertaining 101, Doubleday. Their follow-up book, Stylish One Dish Dinners, Doubleday, was also nominated for a James Beard prize. Their next book, The High Protein Cookbook, Clarkson Potter, remains a best seller after 12 years. That book was designed to accompany low carb diet plans. Her ground-breaking book, Bread in Half The Time, Broadway Books, was named the Best Cookbook in America by the prestigious IACP, The Julia Child award. Her award winning radio work with Jennifer English, for a national show on the Food and Wine radio network, was nominated for a James Beard Prize for a show called, “I Know What You Ate Last Summer.”