I Was Hungry, by Jeremy K. Everett

Can we eliminate hunger in the U.S.?  How about in the state of Texas?  Jeremy K. Everett certainly thinks it can happen.  As director of the Texas Hunger Initiative, he's taking steps to make this a reality.  In I Was Hungry: Cultivating Common Ground to End an American Crisis, he describes the problem and discusses the ways that THI is bringing groups together to address the problem.

One point of frustration for Everett and other activists is the degree to which individuals are demonized or ostracized for their own poverty.  Policy makers and many private citizens view sloth, refusal to work, addiction, and other life choices as the chief causes of hunger.  Everett doesn't dispute that these factors exist, but wants us to acknowledge other factors, such as underemployment, lack of educational opportunities and achievement, and physical access to resources.

To this end, Everett tells stories of people he has met, either as neighbors in poor neighborhoods where he has lived, or as participants in his work with THI and as a member of the National Commission on Hunger.  It's one thing to talk about hunger in the abstract, and conclude that people's choices lead to hunger.  It's another thing to have a relationship with someone who works two jobs and can't afford adequate food, or to meet someone who lives in a border town with no running water and no neighborhood grocery store.  Any understanding of hunger must include relationships with people who experience it.

I appreciated the fact that while he admits that he previously had deep suspicion and animosity toward corporations, he has come to see that both as providers of employment and in the distribution and production of food, corporations can have a positive impact on hunger in our communities: "Many corporations are . . . doing good, and when we cut out an entire sector that employs millions of people from being part of a solution, we are doing the common good a great disservice."  He calls on corporations, civic leaders, private citizens, charities, school districts, and others to work together to make sure no one in our communities is hungry.  It's not a matter of a lack of resources, but a matter of coordination of efforts.

The bottom line is working together in our communities toward the common good.  "Whether you choose to pay for food for families from your missions budget at your church, strengthen utilization of federal resources, or better yet, create good-paying jobs for people in poverty, that decision is yours and your community's to make."  The private sector, all levels of government from federal to the school board, private charities, and religious congregations and organizations all have a part to play.

Everett has a broad approach and offers very practical solutions.  Sure, there are behavioral factors that lead to poverty and hunger, but the societal factors are greater.  Whatever the case, in our wealthy nation, consistent hunger is an indictment against the structure of our society.  Everett will not only have you believing that food insecurity in the U.S. can be a thing of the past, but will also inspire you to play a part in addressing hunger in your own community.



Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!