Children and People of South Florida Suffering From Lack of Food Crisis

South Florida is known for being one of the ultimate get-a-ways, be it for teens on spring break or for adults. With the fancy and flashy nightlife, “luxurious” shopping available as well as the many mansions sitting on the water’s edge, most probably don’t stop to think of the vast majority of residents who make up South Florida. Like many cities, the homeless and poor areas are not seen by tourists…and obviously are not advertised on tourists brochures.

Yet in South Florida approximately a million residents struggle to feed themselves every day. According to food bank Feeding America in the Miami-Dade, Broward, Monroe and Palm Beach counties 949, 910 people don’t know where their next meal will be coming from. What’s more, 296,600 of these residents are children. Children in South Florida are four points below the childhood food insecurity rate (this measures uncertain and/or limited access to adequate food at household level), which in the whole of Florida is at 28.4 percent.  This makes the Miami-Dade county alone the 11th worst county nationwide (read more HERE) and places Florida 5th out of all states. (Click HERE for the Child Food Insecurity 2012 report.)

Surprisingly, or not so surprisingly, depending on how you feel about how the government treats the poor in America. Such as, in Southern Florida alone, of those who are in classified as food insecure a massive 29% do NOT qualify for federal nutrition programs, forcing them to depend on emergency food programs instead. Feeding South Florida states these people need better pay and better employment opportunities in order to rise out of this crisis. Feeding South Florida is a non-profit organization which feeds close to a million people in Southern Florida. Find out more about the crisis they face here.

To see the numbers yourself as well as to understand how Feeding America estimates and analyzes the needs of hungry people all across America, view the full and interactive report by clicking here.

What is the government doing to help these people? Because they can’t be depended on, what about the people? How can there be such a huge gap between rich and poor? One moment you are staring at a beautiful and massive waterfront home, the next you are looking at poor, hungry children unsure of whether they will be eating that night or not. This world could be so much better than it is if only people would own up to our responsibilities and help others in need. Not as handouts, even in jobs, fair pay, equal opportunities in both education and in the workplace.