Feeding the Hungry

After last week’s Thanksgiving feasting, we read a thoughtful article in the New York Times about hunger. It mentioned that 1 in every 8 Americans is hungry.

(This humble blogger once worked for an organization in Ohio that focused on feeding hungry children. There the stat for hungry children was 1 in 4.)

It seems inconceivable. With the focus on obesity and keeping weight down, it’s hard to fathom that others–likely people we see in line at the store, walk past on the street, or even work with–might be going without the food they need.

Here at MortgageKeeper, our experience supports these troubling numbers. Our application’s “food assistance” category is consistently one of our top 5 most utilized. Specifically:

* Referrals for food assistance have reached nearly 100,000 in 2012–an average of more than 300 every day.

* 14% of households who worked with a nonprofit financial counselor needed help to afford food.

* A straw poll of counselors who use our product validates a point made in the New York Times article: that many people–especially families with young children and seniors–don’t know that they qualify for food assistance.

This holiday season, instead of worrying about how to keep those extra pounds off, we do better by donating to our local food banks. Or, better yet, volunteering. We encourage you to find your local food bank and see how you can help.