Hunger in America
- Description
- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
In America today, one in six people, including hard-working men and women, suburban families and children are struggling with hunger. Tonight, over 50 million Americans won’t have enough food to eat by day’s end. This eye-opening, powerful documentary will change your whole perception on what hunger looks like.
Citation
Main credits
Adams, Zac (film director)
Adams, Zac (film producer)
Adams, Zac (screenwriter)
VandeSteeg, Tim (film producer)
Denton, James (narrator)
Other credits
Director of photography, Mike Stryker; editor, Sergio Valenzuela; music, Gary Corbett.
Distributor subjects
Documentary films,poverty,public health,American StudiesKeywords
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(electronic music)
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(piano music)
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- [Voiceover] What does the
face of hunger look like?
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Is it a child in Ethiopia?
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An aging man in Somalia?
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Or a family in poverty-striken India?
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Most people know that hunger
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is a tremendous problem
in third-world countries,
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killing thousands every day.
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It kills more people every year
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than AIDS, malaria, and
tuberculosis combined.
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But could an epidemic
like this ever affect
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people in the world's
most prosperous nation?
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Sadly, the answer is yes.
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In America today, one in six people,
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including hard-working men and women,
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suburban families, and young children
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are struggling with hunger.
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Tonight over 50 million Americans
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won't have enough food
to eat by day's end.
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- [Tom Henry] The face
of hunger in America
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is not just the homeless,
like everyone thinks.
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As it turns out, the
face of hunger in America
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is a single mom.
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It's grandparents raising babies.
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It's the elderly.
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It's the infirm.
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- [Jaynee Day] So they
are working two jobs,
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maybe working at minimum
wage or slightly above.
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They're living on the edge,
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and they're trying to feed their families
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and have a decent house
and a decent car to drive
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to get back and forth to work.
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- [Lucio Guerrero] Official
definition of hunger is really
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a food insecurity, people who maybe
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don't know where their next
meal will be coming from.
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Now if you talk about defining hunger
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and how does it look in America,
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it looks very differently
than the rest of the world,
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because hunger in America doesn't have
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a stereotypical look.
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Hunger in America can be your neighbor,
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your coworker, your
parishioner at your church
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or something like that.
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I mean, it affects so many
people in different ways.
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They can look like you or
I, and you wouldn't know.
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Hunger in America is
something that's so internal,
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so behind closed doors, that you really
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can't put a face on it.
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Here in the land of plenty
we have 50 million people
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who don't know where their
next meal is coming from.
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That number's been relatively steady
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over the last few years,
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but that's jumped a lot
since about 10 years ago,
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and we've seen that increase happening
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mostly at folks who've
had changing situations,
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the middle class, things like that,
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folks who never thought
they'd be in a situation
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where they'd be hungry, and today
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they're not sure where their next meal
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will be coming from.
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The elderly is a population
that suffers from hunger
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just as much as everybody else.
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It's a little bit more critical for them
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because they're on fixed incomes.
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They can't go get a second job.
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They can't go find more money.
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They have resources
that are fairly limited.
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So there's about 3 million
people in this country,
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seniors, who are food insecure,
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who don't know where their
next meal will be coming from.
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These are people who have really
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invested into the system
their whole lives,
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and now find that they
themselves need help.
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We're seeing a lot more seniors lining up,
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trying to get food, where
maybe there's other programs
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where they're slipping through the cracks.
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- [Voiceover] One of the
most influential people
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in fighting the war on
hunger, is Pastor Bob Beeman.
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His unconventional appearance
has given him the title
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as the Ozzy Osbourne of preachers.
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Through his dedication,
love, and compassion,
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he's changed and saved thousands of lives
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over the past few decades.
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- I'm Pastor Bob, and
what you see behind me
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is the Bridge Bunch.
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We started this a few years ago
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just as a service to our houseless friends
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here in Nashville.
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We've got currently about 35,000 people
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that we're feeding every single month,
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seven days a week, somewhere.
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We're here under the
bridge three days a week,
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and we've got some
other locations as well.
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It doesn't take much to feed the homeless.
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We get most of our food from Trader Joe's
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here in Nashville.
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We just got all the Aldi's accounts.
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Aldi's owns Trader Joe's.
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And so we have to still
buy paper plates and sporks
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and all the things that
are necessary to feed them.
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Of course, we've had to put
a little bit of investment
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into tables, but it doesn't take much.
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These days, just to keep everything going
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it takes about $300 a month
to feed all those people.
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- Well, Bob has done a whole lot for me.
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I mean, I've been down here with him
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giving out $20 bills to
people, people like us.
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He's been giving out
food and everything else
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helping out the homeless.
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He has a really kind and sweet heart.
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He's an amazing guy.
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I hope he's always blessed
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of what his works are doing for them.
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He's been giving out
toiletries, clothes, and money.
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I mean, he's taken this
out of his own pocket
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and given it to us.
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I mean, it's like nothing
I've ever seen before.
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He's a guy that really cares.
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- It's just so hard to get
on your feet, you know.
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We're living and been in
a motel since June 10th
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of 2011 with these children,
- Nana, look.
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- and it's just so hard.
- Look, Nana. Mama, look!
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They've got so many
organizations that can help you,
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but if you don't have a job
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they won't help you.
- Mama, look!
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- [Pastor Bob] It's been a
difficult thing sometimes,
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to feed the homeless.
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I think some people don't
understand the plight
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that many in America are really in.
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- How can you help yourself,
or try to help yourself
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if somebody can't help
give you that boost,
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help get you up, get
you up off them streets.
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You know, when you've got two children,
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and you're living on the streets,
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and you're doing everything that you can
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living daily, every day from day to day,
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you can't get ahead.
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- It's difficult when you lose everything,
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to find somebody that
will help these days.
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- We don't have any help.
- Nana, look! Look, Nana!
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- We don't have any family.
- Nana!
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- They have a program here
- We are family.
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that sort of helps.
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It's like a three-month program
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and they help you get in a place,
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but you have to have a job.
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They'll completely move you in,
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pay your deposits, rents,
everything for three months,
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you know, furnished, everything.
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But if you ain't got a job
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you're not qualified for the program.
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- I have a Social Security check.
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I could pay the rent.
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I could pay the electricity, and my babies
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wouldn't have to be walking on the streets
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all day long and all night long.
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- Most of us are really a paycheck away
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from losing everything,
and a lot of these people
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were in that boat just a month or two ago.
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We have families.
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We have husbands and wives.
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We have people that are
professional people.
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We have a lawyer here on the streets.
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All these people that have lost everything
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because of these difficult times.
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- You try to pinch your
money as best ways you can.
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Like my disability check is almost spent
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because of the utilities, the mortgage,
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and I can't even pay my
medical bills and stuff
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because my utilities and the others
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takes the bulk of my money.
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- Obviously, people are hungry,
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and we don't make any distinctions.
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We have some people that are
living in their vehicles,
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some that live in tents,
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some that are still in an apartment
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and almost ready to be on the streets,
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and we hope that they
continue to come down
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so they don't have to be homeless.
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But what we try to
offer is more than food.
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We're family.
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We don't use the word homeless with them.
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We use the word houseless.
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Because we tell them that
home is where the heart is,
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and welcome home.
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We are home, and we're family.
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- [Voiceover] One misconception is that
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only the poor go hungry.
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Not true.
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Take for example Williamson
County in Tennessee.
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Twenty miles south of Nashville,
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it's one of the wealthiest
counties in the country,
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and the most prominent in Tennessee.
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Yet many of its citizens
struggle day to day,
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paycheck to paycheck,
to provide adequate food
00:08:33.312 --> 00:08:35.168
for their family.
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- Hunger affects the middle
class in a variety of ways.
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Probably the most significant way
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that hunger impacts the middle class is
00:08:44.314 --> 00:08:46.429
people don't think about it.
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So there's not awareness
that hunger exists
00:08:48.684 --> 00:08:50.980
in the middle class.
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We refer to the middle
class as the used to's.
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People who used to be able to afford
00:08:56.216 --> 00:08:57.744
the house that they're living in.
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They used to be able to afford
the car they're driving.
00:09:01.680 --> 00:09:03.379
They used to be able to
put all their children
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in all the extracurricular
activities they wanted to,
00:09:06.480 --> 00:09:08.492
but they can't anymore.
00:09:08.492 --> 00:09:10.128
They can't anymore to the fact that
00:09:10.128 --> 00:09:13.340
they can't even really
afford food for the table,
00:09:13.340 --> 00:09:16.561
because the middle class is
ill-equipped to handle it
00:09:16.561 --> 00:09:19.693
when a situation of
financial crisis hits them.
00:09:19.693 --> 00:09:21.333
They haven't had the training.
00:09:21.333 --> 00:09:24.189
They don't know what to do,
what services are available.
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Children are hungry at
school and it affects grades.
00:09:35.713 --> 00:09:37.587
- [Voiceover] Four
hours south of Nashville
00:09:37.587 --> 00:09:40.995
in the small town of Holly
Springs, Mississippi,
00:09:40.995 --> 00:09:45.995
hunger, poverty, and
unemployment are key issues.
00:09:48.224 --> 00:09:50.187
Most of the town is
struggling to make ends meet
00:09:50.187 --> 00:09:52.440
each and every week.
00:09:52.440 --> 00:09:56.560
Not having enough to eat weighs
heavy on everyone's mind.
00:09:58.158 --> 00:10:03.158
- [Napoleon Lesueur] We
lived in a town that we,
00:10:03.336 --> 00:10:07.395
as far as the economy,
that we have experienced
00:10:07.395 --> 00:10:09.560
has pretty well left the town in a
00:10:09.560 --> 00:10:12.255
pretty terrible kind of condition.
00:10:12.255 --> 00:10:14.763
So we began to see that we have so many
00:10:14.763 --> 00:10:17.647
different people now needing the food.
00:10:17.647 --> 00:10:20.927
We'd be surprised that many
times you see people coming
00:10:20.927 --> 00:10:23.328
and you don't think that
they would be needing food,
00:10:23.328 --> 00:10:25.337
but they really do.
00:10:26.443 --> 00:10:27.645
- [Velkay Faulkner] Little
children that I see,
00:10:27.645 --> 00:10:29.718
that is single parents without family,
00:10:29.718 --> 00:10:31.831
mother, father in the homes,
00:10:31.831 --> 00:10:33.760
and there are so many children all
00:10:33.760 --> 00:10:37.631
sometimes home without any
food cooked or no snacks.
00:10:37.631 --> 00:10:39.219
- [Napoleon] Especially the elderly,
00:10:39.219 --> 00:10:40.544
they love it so much.
00:10:40.544 --> 00:10:43.257
I mean, they look for the
food, and not only that,
00:10:43.257 --> 00:10:45.480
we have so many people that have children.
00:10:45.480 --> 00:10:50.303
Some are on the system, and
sometimes that food runs out,
00:10:50.303 --> 00:10:53.306
and they look forward to
the Feed America First
00:10:53.306 --> 00:10:57.566
to be able to complete
the rest of the month.
00:10:57.566 --> 00:11:02.566
It is amazing to us that
there's so many people
00:11:03.244 --> 00:11:06.827
that really needs food and need the help.
00:11:09.361 --> 00:11:11.759
- [Voiceover] West Virginia is
legendary for it's mountains,
00:11:11.759 --> 00:11:15.582
diverse landscape, and
coal mining industry.
00:11:15.582 --> 00:11:18.643
It's also one of the most
beautiful states in America.
00:11:19.544 --> 00:11:21.739
But beneath the surface lies a state
00:11:21.739 --> 00:11:25.190
suffocating from the grip of poverty.
00:11:25.190 --> 00:11:27.280
Hunger doesn't discriminate
here, as it affects
00:11:27.280 --> 00:11:29.316
both young and old alike.
00:11:32.948 --> 00:11:36.219
- This is Amandaville, and behind me
00:11:36.219 --> 00:11:39.311
is a place where someone once lived.
00:11:39.311 --> 00:11:42.883
People have lived in a couple
of these different places,
00:11:42.883 --> 00:11:44.412
in makeshift homes.
00:11:44.412 --> 00:11:47.723
This is supposed to be the
richest country in the world.
00:11:47.723 --> 00:11:50.790
We have people that live
in places like this,
00:11:50.790 --> 00:11:52.853
that just get overlooked.
00:11:52.853 --> 00:11:56.263
- Along with the lack of jobs,
because this is a small city
00:11:56.263 --> 00:11:59.212
there is so much mental
illness in this town.
00:11:59.212 --> 00:12:01.548
A lot of these guys
look healthy and strong,
00:12:01.548 --> 00:12:04.150
but they could not hold
down a job, mentally.
00:12:04.150 --> 00:12:05.885
I think that's a big issue,
00:12:05.885 --> 00:12:07.726
and people don't understand that.
00:12:07.726 --> 00:12:10.572
They're quick to judge.
00:12:10.572 --> 00:12:11.878
- [Leslie] There's just so many people
00:12:11.878 --> 00:12:16.220
that work these minimum wage jobs.
00:12:16.220 --> 00:12:20.434
They make just enough not
to qualify for food stamps.
00:12:20.434 --> 00:12:23.279
So it's like, what do you do?
00:12:23.279 --> 00:12:25.310
Not work and get food stamps?
00:12:25.310 --> 00:12:28.586
Or do you work at this terrible job
00:12:28.586 --> 00:12:30.363
and barely make enough money to survive,
00:12:30.363 --> 00:12:33.389
and have nothing, and that's
where a lot of people are.
00:12:33.389 --> 00:12:35.830
- I know where I work at
in the fast food restaurant
00:12:35.830 --> 00:12:39.650
that there has been
gentlemen that come out,
00:12:39.650 --> 00:12:42.100
and they're like eating
out of your dumpsters.
00:12:42.100 --> 00:12:45.833
- As a student, it was really
hard to get assistance,
00:12:45.833 --> 00:12:48.124
because you have to work 20 hours a week,
00:12:48.124 --> 00:12:50.311
even if you're on unemployment.
00:12:50.311 --> 00:12:52.957
As a student, it's hard to even work.
00:12:52.957 --> 00:12:56.533
It requires so many hours
out of the classroom,
00:12:56.533 --> 00:12:57.960
a lot of homework and stuff.
00:12:57.960 --> 00:13:00.468
There's just not time to do both.
00:13:00.468 --> 00:13:02.222
So you go without.
00:13:04.575 --> 00:13:06.783
- [Voiceover] Even
through these tough times,
00:13:06.783 --> 00:13:10.594
you can find heroes in
the most unlikely places.
00:13:10.594 --> 00:13:13.160
One of those heroes is Kackie Nye.
00:13:13.160 --> 00:13:15.007
Her family lives in a run-down trailer
00:13:15.007 --> 00:13:16.936
in rural West Virginia.
00:13:16.936 --> 00:13:18.807
But that doesn't stop
her from helping others
00:13:18.807 --> 00:13:21.600
who are in more need than she is.
00:13:21.600 --> 00:13:23.190
- [Leslie] I met Kack at a restaurant
00:13:23.190 --> 00:13:25.681
that we both worked at in 2001,
00:13:25.681 --> 00:13:29.209
and ever since I met her we've
been really good friends.
00:13:29.209 --> 00:13:30.359
She's the kind of person
00:13:30.359 --> 00:13:32.224
that would give you
the last dollar she had
00:13:32.224 --> 00:13:34.182
without any questions asked.
00:13:34.182 --> 00:13:37.410
She helps people that
come off the streets,
00:13:37.410 --> 00:13:41.000
who might ask, "We need food for our kids.
00:13:41.000 --> 00:13:42.600
"We need food, we're hungry."
00:13:42.600 --> 00:13:43.801
I used to do the same thing.
00:13:43.801 --> 00:13:45.537
If I ever saw anybody in there,
00:13:45.537 --> 00:13:47.129
I would help them, too.
00:13:47.129 --> 00:13:49.247
You can't just stand there
and watch somebody starve.
00:13:49.247 --> 00:13:52.200
That's what we do a lot when
we drive through that area,
00:13:52.200 --> 00:13:54.653
because you see so many
people in need of help.
00:13:54.653 --> 00:13:56.696
- [Kackie Nye] I've lived in
West Virginia all my life.
00:13:56.696 --> 00:14:00.305
I've lived in this area 32 years now.
00:14:00.305 --> 00:14:02.250
I like the people.
00:14:02.250 --> 00:14:03.480
It's out in the country.
00:14:03.480 --> 00:14:04.904
The kids like being out in the country.
00:14:04.904 --> 00:14:07.513
There are six of us living here right now.
00:14:07.513 --> 00:14:10.435
And you can see it's not the greatest.
00:14:10.435 --> 00:14:12.948
The people that live here in my home
00:14:12.948 --> 00:14:17.948
are me, my son, his
girlfriend, the three kids.
00:14:18.949 --> 00:14:22.991
As you can see, inside
it's like really cluttered.
00:14:22.991 --> 00:14:27.991
Well, right now, I'm using
the power from the apartment.
00:14:28.161 --> 00:14:31.544
My son's got it to where we're wired up
00:14:31.544 --> 00:14:35.675
and getting the electric that we use.
00:14:35.675 --> 00:14:39.784
Something happened as there
was a leak a month ago.
00:14:39.784 --> 00:14:44.784
The water bill's $403, and
that was like in a month.
00:14:44.806 --> 00:14:48.629
I mean, my son is trying to
tear out things and fix them.
00:14:48.629 --> 00:14:51.290
- It's really sad, but
it goes on every day,
00:14:51.290 --> 00:14:52.250
and not just here in West Virginia,
00:14:52.250 --> 00:14:53.706
but all over America.
00:15:01.043 --> 00:15:04.187
- [Voiceover] Los Angeles, the
city where dreams come true
00:15:04.187 --> 00:15:06.195
and fortunes are made.
00:15:06.195 --> 00:15:09.980
It's also a city with
continued high unemployment,
00:15:09.980 --> 00:15:11.660
rising rent and living expenses.
00:15:11.660 --> 00:15:15.325
Because of these factors, many
in the Los Angeles community
00:15:15.325 --> 00:15:16.936
are suffering.
00:15:18.940 --> 00:15:20.717
- The statistics on hunger
in Los Angeles County
00:15:20.717 --> 00:15:22.535
are overwhelming.
00:15:22.535 --> 00:15:25.385
There are 1.7 million individuals
00:15:25.385 --> 00:15:26.948
who are at risk for hunger.
00:15:26.948 --> 00:15:28.810
Here at the Los Angeles
Regional Food Bank,
00:15:28.810 --> 00:15:31.480
we serve 1 million of these individuals,
00:15:31.480 --> 00:15:34.324
and of those, 400,000 are children.
00:15:34.324 --> 00:15:38.411
We do that by distributing
1 million pounds of food
00:15:38.411 --> 00:15:43.411
every single week, or the
equivalent of 770,000 meals.
00:15:43.680 --> 00:15:45.482
- It always breaks my heart
when you walk down the street
00:15:45.482 --> 00:15:48.304
and you see somebody literally
step over a homeless person.
00:15:48.304 --> 00:15:50.160
They don't even acknowledge them.
00:15:50.160 --> 00:15:54.755
- There really is still a
large number of individuals,
00:15:54.755 --> 00:15:56.820
hundreds of thousands, who really are
00:15:56.820 --> 00:15:59.228
going hungry on a daily basis.
00:15:59.228 --> 00:16:01.684
- [Chad] The hunger issue is
very bad here in Hollywood,
00:16:01.684 --> 00:16:04.686
especially when you have gigantic homes.
00:16:04.686 --> 00:16:07.900
Celebrities live just
literally right up the hill,
00:16:07.900 --> 00:16:10.923
and we're a block from
Hollywood Boulevard,
00:16:10.923 --> 00:16:13.965
and Hollywood and Highland,
Grauman's Chinese Theater.
00:16:13.965 --> 00:16:16.388
Walking around, you see homeless people
00:16:16.388 --> 00:16:19.902
all over the place here,
right in front of the subway,
00:16:19.902 --> 00:16:21.500
right in front of the church.
00:16:21.500 --> 00:16:24.900
So there's many, many homeless and hungry
00:16:24.900 --> 00:16:26.826
people here in our community.
00:16:28.435 --> 00:16:32.659
- Hunger is particularly,
I guess, a challenge here
00:16:32.659 --> 00:16:36.356
in Los Angeles, because the unemployment
00:16:36.356 --> 00:16:39.852
really has been hovering at
about 12% for many years.
00:16:39.852 --> 00:16:43.379
The face of hunger has
changed tremendously.
00:16:43.379 --> 00:16:45.763
We are now seeing a lot of families
00:16:45.763 --> 00:16:48.959
who six months ago were
donors to the food bank,
00:16:48.959 --> 00:16:51.420
and now because they have lost their job,
00:16:51.420 --> 00:16:54.195
they have to choose
between paying the mortgage
00:16:54.195 --> 00:16:56.995
or feeding their families,
and so they find themselves
00:16:56.995 --> 00:17:01.800
at the food pantry line,
getting food for their families.
00:17:01.800 --> 00:17:04.920
More and more people are
going hungry every day.
00:17:04.920 --> 00:17:06.315
- [Voiceover] One hundred
and fifty miles away
00:17:06.315 --> 00:17:10.331
from New York City sits
the capital city of Albany.
00:17:10.331 --> 00:17:12.388
Teachers here and across the country
00:17:12.388 --> 00:17:15.255
are seeing the effects of
hunger in their classrooms,
00:17:15.255 --> 00:17:17.350
in their communities.
00:17:17.350 --> 00:17:19.291
Studies have proven that food insecurity
00:17:19.291 --> 00:17:22.872
in a child's life will weaken
their ability to learn.
00:17:22.872 --> 00:17:25.107
How can a child focus at school,
00:17:25.107 --> 00:17:28.950
if all they can think about
is when they will eat next.
00:17:28.950 --> 00:17:31.308
Many teachers are taking
matters into their own hands,
00:17:31.308 --> 00:17:34.144
to help their hungry
students learn and grow.
00:17:35.975 --> 00:17:38.270
- In most cases it's over the weekend
00:17:38.270 --> 00:17:42.230
when the scholar's last
meal was on Friday,
00:17:42.230 --> 00:17:44.603
and when they came back
to school on Monday,
00:17:44.603 --> 00:17:47.443
they told me that that was
the last meal they had,
00:17:47.443 --> 00:17:51.388
that they were in the
care of a teenage sibling,
00:17:51.388 --> 00:17:53.228
that there was no food at home,
00:17:53.228 --> 00:17:57.269
and they rushed to school
Monday morning to get breakfast.
00:17:57.269 --> 00:17:59.562
- I do have children that will
come into school some days,
00:17:59.562 --> 00:18:02.400
and for whatever reason
they didn't eat breakfast,
00:18:02.400 --> 00:18:06.704
and they can be grumpy,
have a lack of focus.
00:18:06.704 --> 00:18:08.735
- [Dorcel] Most times,
the students will act out
00:18:08.735 --> 00:18:11.248
or be very lethargic and
just lay their head down,
00:18:11.248 --> 00:18:14.100
without any motivation to work.
00:18:14.100 --> 00:18:16.601
- The lack of food for the children
00:18:16.601 --> 00:18:18.892
directly relates to their performance
00:18:18.892 --> 00:18:20.444
in physical education.
00:18:20.444 --> 00:18:23.804
If they come in hungry, they
are not paying attention.
00:18:23.804 --> 00:18:24.750
They're restless.
00:18:24.750 --> 00:18:25.940
They're only thinking about where
00:18:25.940 --> 00:18:27.460
they're going to get their next meal.
00:18:27.460 --> 00:18:31.330
- [Dorcel] A child simply
cannot focus if they are hungry.
00:18:31.330 --> 00:18:32.572
They hear their stomach grumbling.
00:18:32.572 --> 00:18:34.549
They're thinking about
what they could have,
00:18:34.549 --> 00:18:36.912
or the last meal that they did have,
00:18:36.912 --> 00:18:40.774
and it creates a problem,
not only for the child,
00:18:40.774 --> 00:18:43.739
but for their teacher, because
the teacher is emphathetic,
00:18:43.739 --> 00:18:45.875
but our hands are almost tied because
00:18:45.875 --> 00:18:48.643
we have nothing literally in
the classroom to give them.
00:18:48.643 --> 00:18:51.893
- It really does affect
their psychomotor ability,
00:18:51.893 --> 00:18:53.846
on the most biological level,
00:18:53.846 --> 00:18:56.244
because if you're not fueling
your body efficiently,
00:18:56.244 --> 00:19:00.169
then it's not going to perform
the way you want it to.
00:19:00.169 --> 00:19:02.690
- [Amy] A large majority
of students at our school,
00:19:02.690 --> 00:19:05.130
over 80%, actually participate
00:19:05.130 --> 00:19:07.211
in the free or reduced lunch program.
00:19:07.211 --> 00:19:09.564
Through this program, they're able to eat
00:19:09.564 --> 00:19:11.355
both breakfast and lunch at school,
00:19:11.355 --> 00:19:14.480
so that while they're in
class they're able to focus.
00:19:14.480 --> 00:19:17.803
- I've seen a lot of students
in the last 10 or 12 years
00:19:17.803 --> 00:19:19.747
that I've been in public schools,
00:19:19.747 --> 00:19:22.233
kind of hoarding food,
putting it in their pockets,
00:19:22.233 --> 00:19:24.197
or trying to sneak it
home in their backpack
00:19:24.197 --> 00:19:26.792
to either feed themselves
later, or feed other
00:19:26.792 --> 00:19:29.793
family members that might
not be of school age yet.
00:19:29.793 --> 00:19:31.599
Sometimes even parents.
00:19:33.584 --> 00:19:35.990
- [Margie Rector] When we
first started the project
00:19:35.990 --> 00:19:38.680
the kids needed to kind of get a platform
00:19:38.680 --> 00:19:39.745
as to what they believed
00:19:39.745 --> 00:19:42.212
and what they felt was important.
00:19:42.212 --> 00:19:46.340
So they did research into
hunger in our community.
00:19:46.340 --> 00:19:49.423
- We kind of figured out
what hunger really was,
00:19:49.423 --> 00:19:53.844
and we took a look at the
kind of people there were
00:19:53.844 --> 00:19:57.609
that were hungry and how
much food they really needed,
00:19:57.609 --> 00:20:00.230
what the food pantries
really did for them.
00:20:00.230 --> 00:20:02.676
- Yeah, I didn't realize that some kids
00:20:02.676 --> 00:20:05.283
didn't have enough food
when they're hungry,
00:20:05.283 --> 00:20:09.120
that they could just go and
get a drink or some pretzels.
00:20:10.950 --> 00:20:14.555
- [Marcel] One out of every
six students in our community
00:20:14.555 --> 00:20:18.357
have food instability issues.
00:20:18.357 --> 00:20:20.557
We did research and we
found out there there's
00:20:20.557 --> 00:20:23.620
a direct correlation between
how well students do in school
00:20:23.620 --> 00:20:26.765
and the food that they
have available to them.
00:20:26.765 --> 00:20:29.300
We learned about basic human nutrition,
00:20:29.300 --> 00:20:33.240
what a student or any child
needs in order to be successful.
00:20:33.240 --> 00:20:36.559
- [Voiceover] We really
realized, I think it was like 80%
00:20:36.559 --> 00:20:39.613
or something of our school
has reduced lunch, which means
00:20:39.613 --> 00:20:42.895
they get free lunch because
their family can't afford it.
00:20:42.895 --> 00:20:45.625
- it's hard to concentrate
when you're thinking about
00:20:45.625 --> 00:20:48.574
what you're going to eat for
lunch or dinner or breakfast.
00:20:48.574 --> 00:20:50.766
- [Voiceover] When I
was on Teen Hunger Force
00:20:50.766 --> 00:20:53.269
we went on trips to
different food pantries
00:20:53.269 --> 00:20:54.793
and food banks.
00:20:54.793 --> 00:20:57.525
In the beginning we worked on the surveys
00:20:57.525 --> 00:21:00.518
and all the things to
go to the food pantries,
00:21:00.518 --> 00:21:03.313
so we were also able to, second semester,
00:21:03.313 --> 00:21:05.521
go on most of the field trips.
00:21:05.521 --> 00:21:07.243
- [Voiceover] Some people kind of have
00:21:07.243 --> 00:21:09.238
rundown clothes or something.
00:21:09.238 --> 00:21:12.487
They would look poorer than some people.
00:21:12.487 --> 00:21:13.906
But they definitely look normal.
00:21:13.906 --> 00:21:17.315
They were just people that
don't have enough food
00:21:17.315 --> 00:21:18.854
for an everyday life.
00:21:18.854 --> 00:21:20.953
- It made me feel pretty
sad to see that people
00:21:20.953 --> 00:21:24.282
don't have the basic things in life,
00:21:24.282 --> 00:21:27.134
like food and breakfast, like three meals,
00:21:27.134 --> 00:21:28.782
and like a balanced diet.
00:21:28.782 --> 00:21:30.913
- [Voiceover] We go to
school with people like this.
00:21:30.913 --> 00:21:35.913
Our school has a very high poverty level.
00:21:36.930 --> 00:21:40.930
I think that affects you
as a kid that doesn't.
00:21:40.930 --> 00:21:43.614
It definitely makes you
want to help people.
00:21:43.614 --> 00:21:48.230
I've never really done any
community work other than this,
00:21:48.230 --> 00:21:52.160
and doing this kind of
opened my mind up to stuff,
00:21:52.160 --> 00:21:53.871
and it really made me feel good.
00:21:53.871 --> 00:21:58.785
- [Marcel] We have the
same rate of hunger here
00:21:58.785 --> 00:22:00.665
that North Korea has.
00:22:06.125 --> 00:22:09.386
- We have an organization
called the JC Club,
00:22:09.386 --> 00:22:13.536
which we feed kids 7
days a week during school
00:22:13.536 --> 00:22:16.956
and then in the summertime we
do a mobile feeding program
00:22:16.956 --> 00:22:19.812
that actually feeds in seven area parks
00:22:19.812 --> 00:22:21.396
over a period of two hours.
00:22:21.396 --> 00:22:23.277
- [Voiceover] Well, this
organization here helps feed
00:22:23.277 --> 00:22:27.850
inner city children, so we go
out to the parks every summer,
00:22:27.850 --> 00:22:29.645
or here in this facility,
and feed the children
00:22:29.645 --> 00:22:34.640
that are not exactly getting
the nutrition that they need.
00:22:34.640 --> 00:22:35.705
- [Charlie] This year
we'll probably be doing
00:22:35.705 --> 00:22:37.900
about 32,000 to 33,000 meals.
00:22:37.900 --> 00:22:40.947
- This is our first day
starting for the summer,
00:22:40.947 --> 00:22:43.344
so by the end of the
summer we could be doing
00:22:43.344 --> 00:22:45.960
up to 500 meat sandwiches and
00:22:45.960 --> 00:22:47.495
500 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
00:22:47.495 --> 00:22:51.862
- What surprised me is really how many
00:22:51.862 --> 00:22:53.825
kids there are in need.
00:22:53.825 --> 00:22:57.442
Sometimes in America we take for granted
00:22:57.442 --> 00:22:59.066
the things that we have.
00:22:59.066 --> 00:23:03.655
You know, to come over and work here,
00:23:03.655 --> 00:23:06.168
it really amazed me as to how many kids
00:23:06.168 --> 00:23:10.123
don't get a lunch, how many
kids aren't taken care of
00:23:10.123 --> 00:23:12.098
by their parents or their family,
00:23:12.098 --> 00:23:14.639
and they're just left
to fend for themselves.
00:23:14.639 --> 00:23:18.561
- This is about our 18th year
of feeding children in America
00:23:18.561 --> 00:23:21.565
and every year we get more organized,
00:23:21.565 --> 00:23:23.970
and it seems like we're
feeding more and more kids.
00:23:23.970 --> 00:23:28.271
You know, when things
get hard economically,
00:23:28.271 --> 00:23:33.271
a lot of parents, they
just don't have the money
00:23:34.561 --> 00:23:37.737
to put food on the table
for three meals a day,
00:23:37.737 --> 00:23:39.371
so a lot of the kids go without.
00:23:39.371 --> 00:23:42.440
But we try to supplement
that one meal a day
00:23:42.440 --> 00:23:43.625
to make sure these kids are eating.
00:23:43.625 --> 00:23:46.793
- When school ends, these
kids in the inner cities,
00:23:46.793 --> 00:23:49.765
in the at-risk areas of our community,
00:23:49.765 --> 00:23:52.259
they're not able to
get a subsidized lunch.
00:23:52.259 --> 00:23:54.784
So a lot of kids, they
will go without a meal.
00:23:54.784 --> 00:23:57.212
They will go without a
lunch, a breakfast, a dinner.
00:23:57.212 --> 00:23:59.402
We try to fill that gap.
00:24:00.909 --> 00:24:03.438
- [Voiceover] I grew up in
a home, a single-parent home
00:24:03.438 --> 00:24:05.950
in New York City, Queens,
and I remember my mother
00:24:05.950 --> 00:24:08.919
sending us to the free lunch program,
00:24:08.919 --> 00:24:12.097
which was in a house, and it was awful,
00:24:12.097 --> 00:24:13.585
but we still ate it.
00:24:13.585 --> 00:24:17.810
But I remember, just, well
I know I don't look hungry,
00:24:17.810 --> 00:24:19.614
but I was hungry.
00:24:19.614 --> 00:24:21.599
My mother had a hard
time making ends meet.
00:24:21.599 --> 00:24:26.589
- It's always been, there's
that thing that poverty, crime,
00:24:26.589 --> 00:24:28.991
you know, it's like this cycle.
00:24:28.991 --> 00:24:31.277
I think that what we're trying to do is
00:24:31.277 --> 00:24:32.693
we're trying to break that cycle.
00:24:32.693 --> 00:24:34.700
We're trying to say to these kids that,
00:24:34.700 --> 00:24:35.209
Look, there is hope.
00:24:35.209 --> 00:24:38.730
You can get out of the
situation that you're in.
00:24:38.730 --> 00:24:41.335
You have to make right decisions.
00:24:41.335 --> 00:24:43.670
Just because you grow
up in a poor community,
00:24:43.670 --> 00:24:45.910
or you grow up without, doesn't mean that
00:24:45.910 --> 00:24:48.534
you have an excuse to go
out and take something
00:24:48.534 --> 00:24:50.400
that you feel is yours.
00:24:50.400 --> 00:24:52.254
- Well, a lot of times we feed kids
00:24:52.254 --> 00:24:54.537
and they just want to give back.
00:24:54.537 --> 00:24:56.827
So we've fed kids for two or three years,
00:24:56.827 --> 00:24:59.270
and then they get a little
bit older, and they're like,
00:24:59.270 --> 00:25:00.995
"Pastor Charlie, can I help?"
00:25:00.995 --> 00:25:03.949
We, of course, because what we do is,
00:25:03.949 --> 00:25:07.114
we try to instill in
the kids a work ethic,
00:25:07.114 --> 00:25:09.437
and we try to instill
in the kids giving back
00:25:09.437 --> 00:25:12.245
and volunteering, and so that's
why we recruit our own kids.
00:25:12.245 --> 00:25:14.976
Kids feeding kids, it's
a real great principle.
00:25:14.976 --> 00:25:17.625
- [Donna Gates] People today
are eating a lot of food,
00:25:17.625 --> 00:25:19.454
but that food isn't really
getting into the cells,
00:25:19.454 --> 00:25:22.369
it isn't really nourishing them at all.
00:25:22.369 --> 00:25:25.041
I see people buying a lot of
food that they don't need.
00:25:25.041 --> 00:25:26.866
What they really just need to do is shop
00:25:26.866 --> 00:25:29.559
in the produce section
and bring home vegetables,
00:25:29.559 --> 00:25:31.461
which really don't cost that much.
00:25:31.461 --> 00:25:33.813
It's the prepared foods
that are costing so much,
00:25:33.813 --> 00:25:35.900
the sodas and the cereals,
00:25:35.900 --> 00:25:38.619
and there's no nutrition
in that, none whatsoever.
00:25:38.619 --> 00:25:40.483
You know, a lot of people think that
00:25:40.483 --> 00:25:44.293
you have to be wealthy
to eat healthy foods.
00:25:44.293 --> 00:25:46.180
That's not necessarily true.
00:25:46.180 --> 00:25:48.060
As a matter of fact, I
went to the farmer's market
00:25:48.060 --> 00:25:51.231
this morning and I bought some cabbage,
00:25:51.231 --> 00:25:52.644
because I wanted to ferment it,
00:25:52.644 --> 00:25:54.511
and I paid $2 a head.
00:25:54.511 --> 00:25:57.879
I bought some kale and some
carrots and ginger and garlic,
00:25:57.879 --> 00:26:00.527
and the whole thing
didn't even cost me $15.
00:26:00.527 --> 00:26:04.213
Now that food is going to last
somebody a really long time,
00:26:04.213 --> 00:26:06.997
Because I'll ferment
it, and then in a week
00:26:06.997 --> 00:26:09.220
it'll be ready to eat,
and for weeks to come
00:26:09.220 --> 00:26:11.310
I'll have this absolutely
extremely delicious
00:26:11.310 --> 00:26:13.394
and important food.
00:26:13.394 --> 00:26:15.245
One of the things that our scientists
00:26:15.245 --> 00:26:17.365
have proven very clearly is that
00:26:17.365 --> 00:26:19.006
we don't need much food.
00:26:19.006 --> 00:26:23.377
As a matter of fact, if we eat
very, very high quality food,
00:26:23.377 --> 00:26:26.385
but we don't eat much of it,
we live much, much longer,
00:26:26.385 --> 00:26:28.383
and we have science to
show that very clearly.
00:26:28.383 --> 00:26:30.969
It's called calorie
restriction, so eating less,
00:26:30.969 --> 00:26:33.301
but with optimal nutrition.
00:26:35.993 --> 00:26:37.483
- [Annabel Ruffell] Yeah, I
definitely think there's a
00:26:37.483 --> 00:26:40.320
misconception that you
have to have a lot of money
00:26:40.320 --> 00:26:44.583
to eat healthy, because honestly
I really don't, we don't.
00:26:44.583 --> 00:26:46.547
Being a single parent, obviously we're
00:26:46.547 --> 00:26:48.940
on a very tight budget.
00:26:48.940 --> 00:26:52.116
But you can make it happen
by buying those foods,
00:26:52.116 --> 00:26:54.350
like beans and rice and
quinoa, which are healthier,
00:26:54.350 --> 00:26:58.390
high in protein, and
then adding vegetables,
00:26:58.390 --> 00:27:00.635
really it doesn't have
to cost a lot of money.
00:27:00.635 --> 00:27:02.848
Even Ralph's has an organic food section.
00:27:02.848 --> 00:27:04.998
Even the 99 Cent Store,
I believe, I went into
00:27:04.998 --> 00:27:07.415
in Simon Final.
00:27:07.415 --> 00:27:09.450
So it's definitely possible.
00:27:09.450 --> 00:27:11.800
It's doable.
00:27:11.800 --> 00:27:12.263
You just have to look for it,
00:27:12.263 --> 00:27:14.134
and you have to budget your month out.
00:27:16.135 --> 00:27:19.623
Yes, my son and I go grocery
shopping and he loves it.
00:27:19.623 --> 00:27:20.982
There's one store down the street
00:27:20.982 --> 00:27:22.933
where he gets his own little cart.
00:27:22.933 --> 00:27:25.950
Yeah, he loves going
up and down the aisles,
00:27:25.950 --> 00:27:28.617
and buying mangoes and
watermelon and sweet potatoes.
00:27:28.617 --> 00:27:30.428
- Maddy.
00:27:30.428 --> 00:27:32.505
- Okay, anything else yummy.
00:27:32.505 --> 00:27:36.461
- Seaweed!
00:27:36.461 --> 00:27:38.401
- Seaweed, you like seaweed, don't you.
00:27:38.401 --> 00:27:40.396
What else?
00:27:40.396 --> 00:27:42.590
- Peas!
00:27:42.590 --> 00:27:45.278
- Peas, and anything else?
00:27:45.278 --> 00:27:46.482
That's it?
00:27:46.482 --> 00:27:49.927
You know, he's not three
yet, but my plan is
00:27:49.927 --> 00:27:52.159
when he's just a little
older to really teach him
00:27:52.159 --> 00:27:54.802
about the ingredients of
the things that we buy,
00:27:54.802 --> 00:27:58.316
the sugar levels, what's
good for him, what isn't.
00:27:58.316 --> 00:28:02.858
I really want to instill
in him the knowledge
00:28:02.858 --> 00:28:04.564
of what food is healthy and what isn't,
00:28:04.564 --> 00:28:05.598
and what's real food.
00:28:05.598 --> 00:28:07.917
Like the fruit, the
vegetables, that's real food.
00:28:07.917 --> 00:28:12.365
The grains, like lentils and
quinoa, and beans and rice,
00:28:12.365 --> 00:28:13.399
those kind of things.
00:28:13.399 --> 00:28:16.325
I see all parents provide
their children with snacks.
00:28:16.325 --> 00:28:20.580
You really don't have to buy those cheap,
00:28:20.580 --> 00:28:22.661
high sugar snacks that you see in stores.
00:28:22.661 --> 00:28:23.956
I mean, you can even make your own.
00:28:23.956 --> 00:28:26.887
I make something very simple for Noahkye.
00:28:26.887 --> 00:28:28.116
It's a treat for him.
00:28:28.116 --> 00:28:29.985
It's brown rice crispies with maple syrup,
00:28:29.985 --> 00:28:31.861
coconut and cashew butter, and that lasts
00:28:31.861 --> 00:28:33.849
for two or three days, and it's like
00:28:33.849 --> 00:28:35.578
this sweet treat that he has,
00:28:35.578 --> 00:28:37.323
and it doesn't have to
cost a lot of money.
00:28:37.323 --> 00:28:41.974
Like the carrot sticks, the
cucumber he loves as well.
00:28:41.974 --> 00:28:43.122
Watermelon.
00:28:43.122 --> 00:28:45.511
It's doable, and it's
possible to encourage
00:28:45.511 --> 00:28:46.880
your kid to eat healthy.
00:28:46.880 --> 00:28:49.494
One other thing actually is
to get your kid involved,
00:28:49.494 --> 00:28:51.142
I think in the kitchen.
00:28:51.142 --> 00:28:52.505
They definitely can have fun.
00:28:52.505 --> 00:28:53.701
They can be part of the process.
00:28:53.701 --> 00:28:56.545
You can share with them what you're doing.
00:28:56.545 --> 00:28:58.778
Really getting them involved, I think,
00:28:58.778 --> 00:29:00.146
is a big thing in getting your kid,
00:29:00.146 --> 00:29:02.530
encouraging your kid to eat healthy.
00:29:04.258 --> 00:29:06.367
- [Voiceover] Another
aspect of food insecurity
00:29:06.367 --> 00:29:08.269
is malnutrition.
00:29:08.269 --> 00:29:10.409
Just because a person is overweight
00:29:10.409 --> 00:29:12.626
doesn't mean they aren't going hungry.
00:29:14.242 --> 00:29:15.316
- Yeah, there are a lot of misconceptions
00:29:15.316 --> 00:29:16.694
when it comes to hunger,
00:29:16.694 --> 00:29:18.412
in everything from physical appearance
00:29:18.412 --> 00:29:22.938
to cars people drive,
or homes they live in.
00:29:22.938 --> 00:29:24.512
That's always a misconception.
00:29:24.512 --> 00:29:26.695
- So specifically with
children, we look at children
00:29:26.695 --> 00:29:29.203
who might be a little
overweight or even obese,
00:29:29.203 --> 00:29:31.168
and we say, "How can that child be hungry?
00:29:31.168 --> 00:29:33.496
"Clearly they're getting
enough food to eat."
00:29:33.496 --> 00:29:35.541
Well, the answer is not clearly.
00:29:35.541 --> 00:29:37.760
It's not as simple as it looks.
00:29:37.760 --> 00:29:39.358
- Well, a lot of those
folks are trying to survive
00:29:39.358 --> 00:29:41.985
on empty calories, or on junk food
00:29:41.985 --> 00:29:45.880
that costs a lot less
to fill their bellies
00:29:45.880 --> 00:29:46.783
than it does for a nutritious meal.
00:29:46.783 --> 00:29:49.192
- Children are eating a
lot of empty calories,
00:29:49.192 --> 00:29:51.727
because that food is cheaper to purchase.
00:29:51.727 --> 00:29:54.112
You can get a lot more
bags of potato chips
00:29:54.112 --> 00:29:56.395
than you can a bag of potatoes.
00:29:56.395 --> 00:29:59.125
You can get a lot more
soda, which is completely
00:29:59.125 --> 00:30:03.656
empty calories, versus a
gallon of milk or fruit juice.
00:30:03.656 --> 00:30:08.189
So children are eating
a lot of empty calories,
00:30:08.189 --> 00:30:11.144
versus sustainable nutritious food.
00:30:11.144 --> 00:30:13.974
- So it may appear outwardly to people
00:30:13.974 --> 00:30:15.395
that they're doing fine.
00:30:15.395 --> 00:30:17.796
Well, they're still hungry
and they still need our help.
00:30:17.796 --> 00:30:21.474
Then when it comes to
things like cars and purses
00:30:21.474 --> 00:30:22.968
and cell phones, we hear that a lot.
00:30:22.968 --> 00:30:25.991
"This person has this great-looking car.
00:30:25.991 --> 00:30:27.104
"How can they be going hungry?"
00:30:27.104 --> 00:30:28.750
Situations change.
00:30:28.750 --> 00:30:31.993
You don't know what's happened
when they first got that car
00:30:31.993 --> 00:30:33.415
to where they are now.
00:30:33.415 --> 00:30:34.833
A lot of people live in debt.
00:30:34.833 --> 00:30:38.331
Those people, you can't
blame them for a situation
00:30:38.331 --> 00:30:40.297
they were in, when they were
in a better place financially,
00:30:40.297 --> 00:30:41.527
and now they aren't.
00:30:41.527 --> 00:30:43.572
- [Tina] So that affects the children.
00:30:43.572 --> 00:30:46.545
It affects their ability
to learn and to grow.
00:30:46.545 --> 00:30:49.357
Then on the flip side of
that, you have the elderly,
00:30:49.357 --> 00:30:52.331
who they're fragile,
and their systems need
00:30:52.331 --> 00:30:56.679
the proper nourishment just
to sustain life, literally.
00:30:56.679 --> 00:30:59.775
With every breath, they
need proper nourishment,
00:30:59.775 --> 00:31:03.151
and many senior adults
just do not have access
00:31:03.151 --> 00:31:05.810
to proper nutrition.
00:31:05.810 --> 00:31:08.417
- [Voiceover] Based in
Chicago, Feeding America
00:31:08.417 --> 00:31:12.119
is the nation's leading
domestic hunger relief charity.
00:31:12.119 --> 00:31:14.255
Their mission is to feed America's hungry
00:31:14.255 --> 00:31:17.320
through a nationwide network
of member food banks,
00:31:17.320 --> 00:31:20.824
and engage our country in
the fight to end hunger.
00:31:20.824 --> 00:31:23.266
- [ Lucio] Well, Feeding
America is the nationwide
00:31:23.266 --> 00:31:25.381
network of food banks across the country.
00:31:25.381 --> 00:31:27.196
We have 200 food banks.
00:31:27.196 --> 00:31:29.599
What that does, those are
the places where people
00:31:29.599 --> 00:31:31.567
can donate food, and then they distribute
00:31:31.567 --> 00:31:34.633
to 61,000 agencies across the country.
00:31:34.633 --> 00:31:37.682
Feeding America is in every
community and every county
00:31:37.682 --> 00:31:40.930
in the United States,
through our member food banks
00:31:40.930 --> 00:31:41.537
and our agencies.
00:31:41.537 --> 00:31:44.175
We have 61,000 agencies.
00:31:44.175 --> 00:31:47.456
We distribute food to 37
million people a year.
00:31:47.456 --> 00:31:51.253
So hunger in Chicago, it's
about 16% of the population
00:31:51.253 --> 00:31:53.299
of Chicago is right now food insecure.
00:31:53.299 --> 00:31:56.418
So for Chicago, that's
about 800,000 people
00:31:56.418 --> 00:31:58.758
who don't know where their
next meal will be coming from.
00:31:58.758 --> 00:32:00.726
It's even worse when you
think about kids in Chicago.
00:32:00.726 --> 00:32:02.958
That's about 20% of the population.
00:32:02.958 --> 00:32:05.600
So about one in five kids in Chicago
00:32:05.600 --> 00:32:07.601
just doesn't know where their
next meal may be coming from.
00:32:07.601 --> 00:32:08.964
Feeding America tries
to create a difference
00:32:08.964 --> 00:32:11.315
by creating a holistic
approach to getting people
00:32:11.315 --> 00:32:13.601
out of hunger, out of food insecurity.
00:32:13.601 --> 00:32:15.784
Part of the mission that we have is also
00:32:15.784 --> 00:32:17.970
hooking people up with the
right government programs
00:32:17.970 --> 00:32:19.775
that are out there, and
maybe help them become
00:32:19.775 --> 00:32:21.684
more food secure, which is the next step
00:32:21.684 --> 00:32:24.307
to them becoming totally independent.
00:32:24.307 --> 00:32:25.722
We also have programs in place
00:32:25.722 --> 00:32:29.467
for kids to get nutrition and nourishment
00:32:29.467 --> 00:32:31.843
when they're not in school.
00:32:31.843 --> 00:32:33.756
For example, we have a backpack program.
00:32:33.756 --> 00:32:36.990
That backpack program is
geared towards these kids
00:32:36.990 --> 00:32:37.827
who maybe get a meal at school,
00:32:37.827 --> 00:32:40.575
but then come a long
weekend, or come a Friday,
00:32:40.575 --> 00:32:43.202
they don't have access to
those free meals at school.
00:32:43.202 --> 00:32:45.404
So what we do with the backpack program is
00:32:45.404 --> 00:32:49.473
we give them a backpack
full of food on Friday.
00:32:49.473 --> 00:32:50.547
They take it home.
00:32:50.547 --> 00:32:52.800
They're able to share
that with their family
00:32:52.800 --> 00:32:53.683
and make sure that through
those long weekends,
00:32:53.683 --> 00:32:56.900
through those holidays,
they have something to eat.
00:33:05.011 --> 00:33:08.158
- I'm Tom Henry, Executive
Director of Feed America First.
00:33:08.158 --> 00:33:10.918
We've been distributing
food for almost 12 years.
00:33:10.918 --> 00:33:13.783
We've given away 32 to 35
million pounds of food.
00:33:13.783 --> 00:33:16.234
Every month we serve about 200 agencies.
00:33:16.234 --> 00:33:17.758
The agencies are our clients.
00:33:17.758 --> 00:33:21.409
We don't necessarily see the
families that they're serving.
00:33:21.409 --> 00:33:23.436
However, the last studies that were done
00:33:23.436 --> 00:33:25.516
by the USDA and Feeding America,
00:33:25.516 --> 00:33:28.815
there's about 50 million
Americans that are food insecure.
00:33:28.815 --> 00:33:30.695
Food insecure means they're not sure
00:33:30.695 --> 00:33:32.286
if they're going to have to
spend their money on medicine
00:33:32.286 --> 00:33:33.719
or rent or utilities or food.
00:33:33.719 --> 00:33:35.122
A lot of those times, in those choices,
00:33:35.122 --> 00:33:36.359
food comes in last.
00:33:36.359 --> 00:33:38.565
So 50 million Americans,
and the most disturbing part
00:33:38.565 --> 00:33:41.402
about that, nationally is
one in five kids are at risk
00:33:41.402 --> 00:33:42.929
of going to bed hungry.
00:33:42.929 --> 00:33:44.518
In Tennessee, the problem's worse.
00:33:44.518 --> 00:33:45.461
It's one in four.
00:33:45.461 --> 00:33:46.998
We're near bottom economically.
00:33:48.351 --> 00:33:51.339
- I am President/CEO of
Second Harvest Food Bank
00:33:51.339 --> 00:33:53.350
of middle Tennessee.
00:33:53.350 --> 00:33:55.771
Second Harvest is a nonprofit organization
00:33:55.771 --> 00:33:57.857
whose mission is to feed hungry people
00:33:57.857 --> 00:34:00.185
here in middle and west Tennessee,
00:34:00.185 --> 00:34:03.558
and work to solve hunger
issues in our community.
00:34:04.408 --> 00:34:05.994
- The fact is that the United States
00:34:05.994 --> 00:34:08.166
still has a huge surplus of food,
00:34:08.166 --> 00:34:10.567
even after we provide food
to people all over the world.
00:34:10.567 --> 00:34:13.431
We feed more people
than any other country,
00:34:13.431 --> 00:34:15.924
as well we should, as the
richest nation in history.
00:34:15.924 --> 00:34:18.977
However, studies show that
almost 40% of the food
00:34:18.977 --> 00:34:21.390
produced in the United States
ends up going to the landfill.
00:34:21.390 --> 00:34:23.403
So why is there any hungry Americans?
00:34:23.403 --> 00:34:26.403
The food waste is so enormous
00:34:26.403 --> 00:34:29.136
because of the shopping
habits of Americans.
00:34:29.136 --> 00:34:33.450
If you, for instance, go to buy tomatoes,
00:34:33.450 --> 00:34:35.198
you expect all the tomatoes
in the grocery store
00:34:35.198 --> 00:34:36.559
to be perfect, and you expect there to be
00:34:36.559 --> 00:34:37.876
a big display of tomatoes.
00:34:37.876 --> 00:34:39.176
Well, if you've ever grown a tomato,
00:34:39.176 --> 00:34:41.980
you know that not all
those tomatoes are pefect.
00:34:41.980 --> 00:34:42.346
There's a lot of ugly tomatoes.
00:34:42.346 --> 00:34:43.658
When you go into the grocery store,
00:34:43.658 --> 00:34:46.419
you expect every item you
want on your grocery list,
00:34:46.419 --> 00:34:47.647
the name brand you want.
00:34:47.647 --> 00:34:49.585
You don't expect them
to be out of anything.
00:34:51.385 --> 00:34:53.675
Most of the food produced,
processed in America,
00:34:53.675 --> 00:34:55.758
is done in a highly automated fashion.
00:34:55.758 --> 00:34:59.193
They'll continue to run
the production line,
00:34:59.193 --> 00:35:01.484
even if they're not sure
that they can sell the food.
00:35:01.484 --> 00:35:03.128
The cheapest thing in the whole process
00:35:03.128 --> 00:35:04.494
is the food itself.
00:35:04.494 --> 00:35:06.859
It's the packaging, the
marketing, the amount of labor,
00:35:06.859 --> 00:35:09.154
the amount of automation
that it takes to produce food
00:35:09.154 --> 00:35:10.941
costs a whole lot more
than the food itself.
00:35:10.941 --> 00:35:13.710
They would rather
overproduce a tractor trailer
00:35:13.710 --> 00:35:16.795
load of yogurt, for instance,
than to have to tell
00:35:16.795 --> 00:35:19.474
one of their big clients
that they're out of product.
00:35:22.994 --> 00:35:24.743
The net result that we've found
00:35:24.743 --> 00:35:27.096
is that every company wants to help,
00:35:27.096 --> 00:35:29.497
and is willing to share
that overproduction,
00:35:29.497 --> 00:35:31.402
if it's relatively convenient to them,
00:35:31.402 --> 00:35:33.782
if it doesn't cost them
extra time and money.
00:35:33.782 --> 00:35:36.280
That creates an opportunity for us.
00:35:36.280 --> 00:35:37.629
That's where we get most of our food.
00:35:37.629 --> 00:35:39.434
It's considered salvage food in that it's
00:35:39.434 --> 00:35:43.094
salable, but the date is too close,
00:35:43.094 --> 00:35:44.948
and they're not going
to be able to do that.
00:35:46.146 --> 00:35:48.345
- [Jaynee] Second Harvest has
been in the middle Tennessee
00:35:48.345 --> 00:35:51.872
area now for over 33
years, providing services
00:35:51.872 --> 00:35:54.533
to those individuals who are in need
00:35:54.533 --> 00:35:56.982
of either emergency food, or aren't sure
00:35:56.982 --> 00:35:59.663
where their next meal is
going to be coming from.
00:35:59.663 --> 00:36:02.937
That's what Second Harvest
is here to assist with.
00:36:02.937 --> 00:36:06.383
Hunger in America,
unfortunately is growing.
00:36:06.383 --> 00:36:08.300
We have one out of four children,
00:36:08.300 --> 00:36:10.470
and one out of six Tennesseeans,
00:36:10.470 --> 00:36:12.169
that go to bed every single night,
00:36:12.169 --> 00:36:15.496
and don't know where their
next meal will be coming from.
00:36:15.496 --> 00:36:17.569
Over the past three years, we have seen
00:36:17.569 --> 00:36:22.196
a 25% increase in demand for our services,
00:36:22.196 --> 00:36:24.290
and that's been difficult
for us to be able
00:36:24.290 --> 00:36:27.710
to keep up with, with
funding that's needed
00:36:27.710 --> 00:36:29.804
to provide those services, as well as food
00:36:29.804 --> 00:36:32.655
to provide to those individuals in need.
00:36:34.723 --> 00:36:36.243
You see a lot of seniors.
00:36:36.243 --> 00:36:38.346
Our senior population is growing.
00:36:38.346 --> 00:36:40.963
What we are seeing, too, is many seniors
00:36:40.963 --> 00:36:44.384
who are having their children
move back in with them
00:36:44.384 --> 00:36:47.491
because of unusual
circumstances, losing their jobs,
00:36:47.491 --> 00:36:50.556
or whatever, and in
many cases, the children
00:36:50.556 --> 00:36:52.514
or the grandchildren,
are now coming to live
00:36:52.514 --> 00:36:54.214
with the grandparents, and they're living
00:36:54.214 --> 00:36:56.166
on very limited income.
00:37:01.860 --> 00:37:04.148
- [Tina] Graceworks got started in 1995
00:37:04.148 --> 00:37:07.580
when a group of concerned
individuals got together
00:37:07.580 --> 00:37:10.238
and realized the needs of our county
00:37:10.238 --> 00:37:11.886
were not being met.
00:37:11.886 --> 00:37:15.164
So Graceworks got started as
really a group of churches
00:37:15.164 --> 00:37:17.783
coming together and saying, "How can we be
00:37:17.783 --> 00:37:19.860
"the church outside the walls?
00:37:19.860 --> 00:37:21.606
"How can we feed our neighbors?
00:37:21.606 --> 00:37:24.651
"How can we provide our
neighbors with basic needs?"
00:37:27.196 --> 00:37:32.196
Poverty and hunger is something
people are ashamed of.
00:37:32.476 --> 00:37:35.671
No one's holding up a
red flag or a white flag
00:37:35.671 --> 00:37:37.566
or any kind of flag and saying,
00:37:37.566 --> 00:37:40.290
"I can't feed my children today."
00:37:40.290 --> 00:37:44.690
No one wants to admit that,
particularly in the middle class
00:37:44.690 --> 00:37:47.284
particularly in affluent
Williamson County.
00:37:47.284 --> 00:37:50.150
We see executives that
have been out of work
00:37:50.150 --> 00:37:51.545
for over a year.
00:37:51.545 --> 00:37:53.833
They've sold everything they own.
00:37:53.833 --> 00:37:56.566
They live literally in a shell of a home.
00:37:56.566 --> 00:37:57.514
It's empty.
00:37:57.514 --> 00:37:59.187
There's nothing inside of it,
00:37:59.187 --> 00:38:02.848
and there still isn't money to buy food.
00:38:05.819 --> 00:38:09.980
We've seen war veterans come in.
00:38:09.980 --> 00:38:13.104
It really is touching
and will break your heart
00:38:13.104 --> 00:38:16.410
to see a soldier who has
fought for our country
00:38:16.410 --> 00:38:19.923
sit across the table and
have so many medical needs,
00:38:19.923 --> 00:38:22.480
or so many bills to pay
that they can't feed
00:38:22.480 --> 00:38:26.434
feed their own children, but
yet they've saved my children.
00:38:26.434 --> 00:38:27.932
They've allowed my children and me
00:38:27.932 --> 00:38:30.257
to live in a land of freedom.
00:38:30.257 --> 00:38:33.223
But they can't provide
for their own family.
00:38:33.223 --> 00:38:36.887
We see stories like this every day.
00:38:38.776 --> 00:38:40.430
- [Voiceover] With an anemic economy,
00:38:40.430 --> 00:38:42.720
and many Americans
struggling with job loss,
00:38:42.720 --> 00:38:45.384
hunger, or unexpected medical bills,
00:38:45.384 --> 00:38:47.678
places like The Journey
Home are reaching out,
00:38:47.678 --> 00:38:50.603
saving lives, and giving hope to Americans
00:38:50.603 --> 00:38:52.970
that are desperately in need.
00:38:52.970 --> 00:38:55.290
Executive Director Scott
Foster explains their mission.
00:38:56.305 --> 00:38:58.383
- [Scott] The Journey Home is
a Christian outreach program
00:38:58.383 --> 00:39:01.372
that serves the homeless and
the low and very low income
00:39:01.372 --> 00:39:04.274
folks here in Rutherford County.
00:39:04.274 --> 00:39:09.274
We provide basic needs services,
such as food and clothing,
00:39:09.300 --> 00:39:13.229
hygiene and also a lot of counseling.
00:39:13.229 --> 00:39:14.354
We have a computer lab.
00:39:14.354 --> 00:39:18.288
We provide basic
resources that help people
00:39:18.288 --> 00:39:20.675
help themselves and
get back on their feet.
00:39:20.675 --> 00:39:23.192
Homelessness is a very
complicated problem.
00:39:23.192 --> 00:39:26.446
It involves literally every
aspect of someone's life,
00:39:26.446 --> 00:39:30.600
from health and nutrition,
to relationships,
00:39:30.600 --> 00:39:33.700
to employment, to
transportation, to housing.
00:39:33.700 --> 00:39:36.384
There are many interconnected issues.
00:39:36.384 --> 00:39:41.328
The things that we do help
people put the pieces together,
00:39:41.328 --> 00:39:44.719
coordinate various different resources,
00:39:44.719 --> 00:39:47.955
and put them into a plan
that will help them reach
00:39:47.955 --> 00:39:50.815
the goals they have for
sustainable housing,
00:39:50.815 --> 00:39:53.215
and basically reintegration
into community life.
00:39:53.215 --> 00:39:55.514
- My journey started about a year ago,
00:39:55.514 --> 00:39:57.781
when I was diagnosed with cancer.
00:39:57.781 --> 00:39:59.419
My husband left.
00:39:59.419 --> 00:40:00.730
I lost my job.
00:40:00.730 --> 00:40:02.281
I lost my car.
00:40:02.281 --> 00:40:03.727
I lost everything.
00:40:03.727 --> 00:40:06.790
Someone introduced this place to me
00:40:06.790 --> 00:40:07.832
when I had nowhere to go.
00:40:07.832 --> 00:40:11.301
They found us a place to sleep.
00:40:14.823 --> 00:40:19.823
They got us in church, and
they helped me get disability,
00:40:19.842 --> 00:40:22.699
get back on my feet and get healthy again.
00:40:22.699 --> 00:40:26.239
Thanks to them, we have an apartment.
00:40:26.239 --> 00:40:28.467
I'm on my way to getting a car.
00:40:28.467 --> 00:40:32.954
I'm on my way to getting an education.
00:40:32.954 --> 00:40:35.783
I mean, it's endless.
00:40:35.783 --> 00:40:37.778
It's endless what these
people have done for me.
00:40:37.778 --> 00:40:42.455
My son is in counseling because
it was really hard for him
00:40:42.455 --> 00:40:45.790
seeing me go through what I went through.
00:40:45.790 --> 00:40:47.562
But it's all thanks to The Journey Home.
00:40:47.562 --> 00:40:49.463
It's all thanks to Geneva and Scott.
00:40:49.463 --> 00:40:53.631
I don't know what I would
have done without them.
00:40:56.580 --> 00:40:58.755
- People would probably
not recognize that we have
00:40:58.755 --> 00:41:03.755
as many people, particularly
children and seniors, as we do,
00:41:04.142 --> 00:41:07.931
that are not able to
meet a regular, healthy,
00:41:07.931 --> 00:41:11.744
nutritious diet in their day-to-day life.
00:41:11.744 --> 00:41:13.863
People would not realize
that they may have a neighbor
00:41:13.863 --> 00:41:16.374
that is struggling to make ends meet.
00:41:16.374 --> 00:41:19.552
What we find, and we serve
a very wide population,
00:41:19.552 --> 00:41:23.209
from infants and families
with children, to seniors.
00:41:23.209 --> 00:41:25.662
We find that in some cases,
people are having to make
00:41:25.662 --> 00:41:29.390
very different choices,
choices maybe between
00:41:29.390 --> 00:41:32.600
whether the light bill gets
paid, or whether I have
00:41:32.600 --> 00:41:34.288
an adequate amount of
food to put on the table,
00:41:34.288 --> 00:41:36.891
or whether I buy the medicine that I need.
00:41:38.128 --> 00:41:40.616
We actually have a pretty
significant problem
00:41:40.616 --> 00:41:44.627
with people not being able
to maintain a proper diet.
00:41:44.627 --> 00:41:49.627
In our organization, we really
deal with that in two ways.
00:41:50.140 --> 00:41:51.833
We provide hot meals.
00:41:51.833 --> 00:41:54.118
We provide breakfast, lunch, and supper.
00:41:54.118 --> 00:41:55.756
During the week, seven days a week,
00:41:55.756 --> 00:41:58.266
there's a hot meal to be
had here at The Journey Home
00:41:58.266 --> 00:42:01.104
for people who are simply hungry.
00:42:01.104 --> 00:42:03.710
They don't have to meet
any other criteria.
00:42:03.710 --> 00:42:05.582
Then we also distribute food staples,
00:42:05.582 --> 00:42:07.600
for those folks who are housed,
00:42:07.600 --> 00:42:08.808
and have a place to prepare food,
00:42:08.808 --> 00:42:11.480
but they may be a little
short in their budget.
00:42:11.480 --> 00:42:14.584
You know, it's just, employment is not
00:42:14.584 --> 00:42:18.254
as stable and secure as it
has been in previous years,
00:42:18.254 --> 00:42:20.982
and folks just find
themselves where their income
00:42:20.982 --> 00:42:22.567
doesn't quite meet the budget.
00:42:22.567 --> 00:42:24.594
So by distributing those type foods,
00:42:24.594 --> 00:42:27.670
we're able to help them
make that dollar stretch.
00:42:36.484 --> 00:42:39.142
- [Jaynee] We always tell
people in our communities,
00:42:39.142 --> 00:42:40.960
and really throughout America,
00:42:40.960 --> 00:42:43.253
that there are simple
things that they can do.
00:42:43.253 --> 00:42:45.182
Everybody can contribute.
00:42:45.182 --> 00:42:47.579
So maybe it's contributing your time
00:42:47.579 --> 00:42:50.912
to a local food bank or
a local pantry program,
00:42:50.912 --> 00:42:53.634
and helping them out, and
servicing those individuals
00:42:53.634 --> 00:42:55.500
who are in need.
00:42:55.500 --> 00:42:57.457
- I'd say there are several
things that people can do
00:42:57.457 --> 00:43:00.341
to end the epidemic of hunger in America.
00:43:00.341 --> 00:43:02.585
But to me, the number one
thing that people can do
00:43:02.585 --> 00:43:04.998
is acknowledge that it exists.
00:43:04.998 --> 00:43:07.984
We can no longer turn a
blind eye in our community
00:43:07.984 --> 00:43:10.445
or our country to the realization
00:43:10.445 --> 00:43:12.409
that there are people we know,
00:43:12.409 --> 00:43:15.319
people whose lives can
be touched by hunger.
00:43:15.319 --> 00:43:16.765
- There's a couple ways you can help.
00:43:16.765 --> 00:43:18.823
There's everything from
volunteering at a food bank.
00:43:18.823 --> 00:43:20.794
We have 200 food banks across the country.
00:43:20.794 --> 00:43:23.136
A lot of these food banks
don't want to use their money
00:43:23.136 --> 00:43:24.935
for operations, for staff.
00:43:24.935 --> 00:43:26.499
They really want to be
as efficient as possible
00:43:26.499 --> 00:43:27.825
and get food out.
00:43:27.825 --> 00:43:29.884
So if you can go to your local food bank,
00:43:29.884 --> 00:43:33.573
you can help out, packing
boxes, moving boxes,
00:43:33.573 --> 00:43:36.333
setting up these backpacks
that we talked about.
00:43:36.333 --> 00:43:39.168
- The way that we deal
with issues of poverty,
00:43:39.168 --> 00:43:40.508
not just here in our community,
00:43:40.508 --> 00:43:42.793
but in our nation and in our world,
00:43:42.793 --> 00:43:46.320
is that everyone has to do something.
00:43:46.320 --> 00:43:48.667
If everyone does something, then no one
00:43:48.667 --> 00:43:50.630
has to do a tremendous amount.
00:43:50.630 --> 00:43:53.427
But whether it is building community
00:43:53.427 --> 00:43:54.678
within your own neighborhood,
00:43:54.678 --> 00:43:56.119
and knowing who your neighbors are,
00:43:56.119 --> 00:43:59.700
knowing who vulnerable
folks are in your community,
00:43:59.700 --> 00:44:03.240
and checking on them and helping them out
00:44:03.240 --> 00:44:06.300
when they need a hand,
whether it is volunteering
00:44:06.300 --> 00:44:08.698
at a place like this, a
place that serves meals,
00:44:08.698 --> 00:44:13.128
or a place that satisfies hunger
through food distribution.
00:44:13.128 --> 00:44:14.673
- They can come to our local food bank,
00:44:14.673 --> 00:44:16.584
and we have lots of different activities,
00:44:16.584 --> 00:44:20.132
and helping us to sort through
food that gets donated here,
00:44:20.132 --> 00:44:22.870
so that we can then send it out
00:44:22.870 --> 00:44:23.954
to the people who need it the most.
00:44:23.954 --> 00:44:26.933
In addition to that, they
can always contribute funds.
00:44:26.933 --> 00:44:29.401
Every food bank and every organization
00:44:29.401 --> 00:44:32.360
needs money to be able
to run their operation.
00:44:32.360 --> 00:44:34.797
So we hope that they'll
get financially engaged
00:44:34.797 --> 00:44:36.168
with that as well.
00:44:36.168 --> 00:44:37.653
- You could do simple things.
00:44:37.653 --> 00:44:39.364
You can clean out your pantry.
00:44:39.364 --> 00:44:41.648
You can take food to
the local food pantry.
00:44:41.648 --> 00:44:45.410
There are many food pantries
all across this community,
00:44:45.410 --> 00:44:48.320
all across this country,
that are begging for food.
00:44:48.320 --> 00:44:50.585
Shelves are completely empty,
00:44:50.585 --> 00:44:52.580
but we've got families that have pantries
00:44:52.580 --> 00:44:54.810
full of stocked food.
00:44:54.810 --> 00:44:55.944
It can be done on an individual level.
00:44:55.944 --> 00:44:57.729
It can be done on a group level.
00:44:57.729 --> 00:45:00.430
We have a tremendous number
of churches and volunteers,
00:45:00.430 --> 00:45:02.301
civic organizations that come,
00:45:02.301 --> 00:45:05.840
and folks spend a few hours a month here,
00:45:05.840 --> 00:45:08.470
and they make a difference
to their neighbor in need.
00:45:08.470 --> 00:45:11.440
But it can also be done with
your next-door neighbor.
00:45:11.440 --> 00:45:15.610
If you find that you
have a next-door neighbor
00:45:15.610 --> 00:45:18.730
that is vulnerable, then just
being a part of their life
00:45:18.730 --> 00:45:21.419
is important, so you'll
recognize what those needs are,
00:45:21.419 --> 00:45:23.363
and then you can respond to that.
00:45:23.363 --> 00:45:25.667
- [Tina] Teach your children about hunger.
00:45:25.667 --> 00:45:27.659
Teach your children to give back.
00:45:27.659 --> 00:45:29.490
Food pantries are a great place
00:45:29.490 --> 00:45:32.930
to get children introduced
to volunteerism.
00:45:32.930 --> 00:45:34.343
Clean out your pantries.
00:45:34.343 --> 00:45:35.629
Buy extra food.
00:45:35.629 --> 00:45:37.750
When there's a grocery
store that has 10 for 10,
00:45:37.750 --> 00:45:41.528
and you only need four items,
buy those other six things
00:45:41.528 --> 00:45:43.626
and give it to the local food bank.
00:45:43.626 --> 00:45:45.374
There are drives constantly.
00:45:45.374 --> 00:45:47.877
Stores have drives, schools have drives,
00:45:47.877 --> 00:45:49.624
churches have drives.
00:45:49.624 --> 00:45:52.523
Acknowledge that hunger exists.
00:45:52.523 --> 00:45:55.648
Look for places to give, and then give.
00:45:55.648 --> 00:46:00.648
- But don't just stay there and
ignore the problem of hunger
00:46:00.749 --> 00:46:04.250
There's a hungry child that's sitting
00:46:04.250 --> 00:46:07.416
right next to your own
child in the classroom.
00:46:07.416 --> 00:46:09.876
There's somebody at work who is
00:46:09.876 --> 00:46:13.210
standing in the food
pantry on the weekend.
00:46:13.210 --> 00:46:15.272
The faces of hunger have changed.
00:46:15.272 --> 00:46:17.144
It is not what it used to be.
00:46:17.144 --> 00:46:20.150
It is right next door to
us, and often we don't know
00:46:20.150 --> 00:46:21.277
that that's what's going on,
00:46:21.277 --> 00:46:23.133
because people feel embarrassed about it,
00:46:23.133 --> 00:46:24.956
and don't want to say anything.
00:46:24.956 --> 00:46:28.168
So really encourage everybody
to take a stand and say,
00:46:28.168 --> 00:46:29.949
"We will not stand for hunger,
00:46:29.949 --> 00:46:31.764
"and we will do whatever we can,
00:46:31.764 --> 00:46:34.437
"to bring an end to it."
00:46:34.437 --> 00:46:38.422
- I think that ultimately,
in all the things that we do,
00:46:38.422 --> 00:46:40.519
the most important thing that we do,
00:46:40.519 --> 00:46:43.378
is help people understand
that they're valuable.
00:46:43.378 --> 00:46:47.126
I think that when we
as a community realize
00:46:47.126 --> 00:46:50.950
that each of our members
is a valuable person,
00:46:50.950 --> 00:46:52.948
and we get involved and we invest
00:46:52.948 --> 00:46:54.806
in the other people in our community,
00:46:54.806 --> 00:46:56.549
then we resolve these problems.
00:46:56.549 --> 00:46:58.371
Issues like hunger go away.
00:46:58.371 --> 00:47:01.900
Issues like housing crises go away.
00:47:01.900 --> 00:47:03.879
Employment issues, where people are
00:47:03.879 --> 00:47:05.520
having trouble finding jobs.
00:47:05.520 --> 00:47:07.976
You find jobs through networks,
00:47:07.976 --> 00:47:09.207
through people you
know, through community.
00:47:09.207 --> 00:47:11.121
- Also you can advocate.
00:47:11.121 --> 00:47:12.462
Advocate on behalf of the hungry.
00:47:12.462 --> 00:47:14.927
Advocate on behalf of those who need help.
00:47:14.927 --> 00:47:16.195
There's a lot of people
out there who don't
00:47:16.195 --> 00:47:18.959
have a voice, maybe,
with our decision makers.
00:47:18.959 --> 00:47:21.214
You can then be one of
those voices for them
00:47:21.214 --> 00:47:23.262
and help get laws passed that will help
00:47:23.262 --> 00:47:24.724
feed people in this country.
00:47:24.724 --> 00:47:28.745
- It's all of our responsibility
to try and alleviate hunger
00:47:28.745 --> 00:47:32.774
one of which is to all be advocates,
00:47:32.774 --> 00:47:35.836
to contact local politicians,
00:47:35.836 --> 00:47:40.636
whether it's at a city
level, or congressmen,
00:47:40.636 --> 00:47:43.660
senator at the state level, federal.
00:47:43.660 --> 00:47:46.710
There are a lot of programs
that they're looking at.
00:47:46.710 --> 00:47:50.171
So to make sure that
these programs are passed,
00:47:50.171 --> 00:47:51.918
and that they will come back
00:47:51.918 --> 00:47:53.801
to your local community and help.
00:47:53.801 --> 00:47:57.909
- And realize that someone
you know is hungry today.
00:48:02.585 --> 00:48:05.836
- [Voiceover] The face of hunger
in America is all too real,
00:48:05.836 --> 00:48:08.430
and it's looking at all of us.
00:48:08.430 --> 00:48:10.973
It could be the family of
four living next to you,
00:48:10.973 --> 00:48:13.788
or an elderly couple at the grocery store.
00:48:13.788 --> 00:48:15.684
It doesn't matter if you live in an urban,
00:48:15.684 --> 00:48:18.346
suburban, or rural setting.
00:48:18.346 --> 00:48:20.623
Hunger has no boundaries.
00:48:20.623 --> 00:48:23.340
Everyone can do something
to fight the crisis
00:48:23.340 --> 00:48:24.942
here in the United States,
00:48:24.942 --> 00:48:28.175
whether it's donating funds
to your local food bank,
00:48:28.175 --> 00:48:30.505
or volunteering in your community.
00:48:30.505 --> 00:48:35.505
The truth is, no one in
America should go hungry.
00:48:35.910 --> 00:48:36.661
No one.
00:48:37.556 --> 00:48:42.521
(piano music)