Dear Future President of the United States:

People have suffered and strained for too long and it is time for this great country to make a change. The problem of hunger in America is one that leaves people empty and famished, it has crippled our citizens for centuries, and has become a predicament that is timeless. Whether someone be old, young, or anywhere in between, there is no way to hide from this starvation that much of the country faces. Is this really the America we want other countries to see? A place where we can’t take care of our own people? I feel that everyone should have the right to food on the table every night without worry. Parents shouldn’t have the need to stress over whether or not they can feed their children dinner or if they are going to have to put them to sleep with growling stomachs once again. We, as a nation, need your help to create a solution to this lack of food and create a society with equal opportunity for everyone to have good health and a full stomach.

Did you know that, according to Feeding America, a staggering 42.2 million Americans were forced to live in food insecure households in 2015? Of this enormous number, 29.1 million were adults and 13.1 million were children. We should be standing up for these people, we should be fighting against this problem that never seems to be satisfied by the number of people it is withering away. Furthermore, along with the 13% of American households that proved to be food insecure, surveys have found that, another 5% of all American households showed to be in low food security. So, not only are there humans out there starving everyday, the number of people who don’t know if they are going to starve on a day-by-day basis is quite large as well.

My least favorite thing to see is people sitting on the side of the road having to beg for food. Meals should be a basic right that everyone is able to have. Yes, there are the 86% of households that have food security in America, as demonstrated by Feeding America. But, that should not replace the fact that all Americans should be able to have at least one warm and nutritional meal on their table every day without worry or doubt.

Therefore, we should stop exporting all of our assistance to other countries and continents. Instead of shipping crates on crates of food to other areas, we should put more emphasis on beginning the quest to end world hunger on the home front. It is quite hypocritical of us to say how everyone needs our help but to still put no precedence on our own citizens. So, Future President of the United States, please help in the battle to end hunger in America and create better lives for all of our citizens.

Sincerely,

Kate F.

***The photo represents hunger in America. The left of the plate demonstrates what some people are able to eat for dinner and represents the gluttony of some of their choices through the butter and sour cream filling the potato. Whereas, the right side of the plate creates the sense of emptiness that fill the lives of some people when it comes to food and meals.