As many of us plan our elaborate Thanksgiving meals this week, it’s important to remember that there are also many of us who don’t know where their next meal is coming from.
The latest data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture indicates nearly 41 million Americans, about 12 percent of the country, is living at risk of hunger. In Alabama, the statistics are even worse. More than 18 percent of Alabamians classified as food insecure, with nearly 8 percent regularly going hungry. In fact, Alabama ranked as the third hungriest state in the nation last year, trailing only Louisiana and Mississippi.
The Reverend David Beckmann is the head of Bread for the World, a non-profit focused on combating hunger. He says these statistics can change.
“I remember a few years ago, Texas was the hungriest state in the nation. They’re not one of the bottom ten anymore. Oregon was the hungriest state in the nation and their governor said ‘We gotta fix this’, and he mobilized the churches and everybody, and now they’re not in the bottom ten.”
For more information on hunger and how you can help, visit Bread for the World’s website at bread.org.