January 12, 2020
It's 2020, but hunger has been around for millions of years. Every day, 925 million people all around the world don't have food to eat, and most of them are children. In 2010 more than 20,000 children a day died of hunger, and tens years later that number is still growing. What if we could make a change? Like Ghandi said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world."
Change starts from people like you and me, then it starts to expand. First, from one person, then two, then a neighborhood, then a community, then a society. The population is almost at 8 billion people, and yet there are people who only get one meal a day or are eating out of emergency food boxes. Hopefully, you will think about next time when you don't finish your pizza that someone in Asia, Africa, or right here in Portland is probably not even getting anything.
Why are there so many children who are hungry out there? There are many reasons why. Sometimes only one parent is alive and has to feed a family of five. Sometimes the parent doesn't have a job. Sometimes the parents work, but they don't get enough money to pay for the food.
There is an organization called Meals on Wheels People. Their mission is to deliver hot, nutrious lunches Monday through Friday to the homebound elderly. We interviewed manager Bill Zorts, asking him why he chooses to dedicate his life to this worthy cause. He said that he started Meals On Wheels People because he liked seeing grateful faces and he didn't want the world, especially the aged and vulnerable, to be hungry. Bill's wife, Amanda Zorts, says that when their own kids were hungry on the farm they grew up on, they would walk outside and pick a carrot. Today, many seniors are unable to afford quality food, or they are unable to get around to do their own grocery shopping.
In the popular book from last decade, The Hunger Games, a boy named Peeta gave the hero, Katniss, two loaves of bread to save her life and her family from starvation. Katniss survived and went on to greatness. Katniss wouldn't have made it anywhere without that bread. Be the hero-starter. Support Meals on Wheels People.
For more information on Meals on Wheels People, go to http://www.mealsonwheelspeople.org/
Hey, my name is Erin. I really enjoyed your post about world hunger, and the stats helped me realize how big of a problem it is. I enjoy the whole "Hunger Games" reference - by including it in your article, it helps one connect with hunger (if they read the books). Some advice: maybe add one more concluding sentence or maybe a quote. I liked the Ghandi quote, and I've heard it many times because of its inspiring message.
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