Child Hunger In America

One of the most devastating tragedies that both kills and makes people suffer all over the world is poverty. What many people do not realize is how widespread and serious this issue really is. In the United States one in seven households were food insecure last year which adds up to 17.4 million households and 16 million children facing the devastating effects of hunger. Getting the needed food and nutrition is critical to children's emotional and physical development and if no one tries to help who knows what will become of the millions of children who do not get the food and supplies that is required to live a normal life. Poverty not only effects children, but people in all parts of the United States from the most rural areas to big urban
That includes 15.5 million children under the age of 18. This puts many of the older kids that are affected by poverty in a difficult position because in most cases families that struggle to provide enough food cannot provide a vehicle for the child to get to a job and start on the path towards a career and poverty free life. Poverty is usually the main cause of hunger simply because people who live with an income below the national poverty line are extremely prone to running out of money for food. This will surely affect the ten percent of seniors in America who are living in poverty. That ten percent adds up to five million seniors that face a unique and increased risk of hunger. Seniors face an increased risk of hunger because many of them are affected by unique medical and mobility challenges. Seniors may deal with diseases that corrupt mobility as serious as MS which can cause someone to lose the ability to walk or diseases that just demote the quality of ones life and make them lose the desire to exercise such as arthritis. Seniors are also at increased risk for general health problems such as diabetes and heart disease. Not only that but as people age their immune systems weaken and become generally less effective placing seniors at increased risk for even common sicknesses which can end up being devastating on someones health if the funds to see a doctor are not available. There are even some seniors that have the money to see a doctor but can not do so because they have lost the ability to drive. Losing the ability to drive makes it extremely difficult to provide yourself with food and without help from others the effects can be devastating and could even lead to starvation. Overall poverty has a particularly harmful effect on the lives of seniors due to many unfortunate factors. Although food