Who Will Feed The Hungry Children In America?

Bhikkhu Bhodhi

Speaking of Engaged Buddhism, there is no finer example than that of Bhikkhu Bodhi. He founded Buddhist Global Relief (BGR) project to feed the hungry children in America and other parts of the world.

According to an article on the BGR blog titled,  Nourishing Change, the United States House of Representatives passed the new Farm Bill which does not include any funding for food stamps. Who will feed the hungry children in America?

Bhikkhu Bodhi says,

The ultimate future of food stamps is now clouded in uncertainty, but I’m not concerned with the issue from a political perspective, where the focus is on using the right tactics and issuing the right sound bites to triumph in the struggle for power. I look at the contention in ethical terms, as presenting us with a choice about the fundamental premises that define our sense of collective identity. Given that government, in theory at least, is our common will, representing us as a people, how do we define ourselves? Will we  come to the aid of those among us struggling to get by or will we throw the needy back upon their own meager resources? Is the prevailing philosophy of governance one of mutual concern and collective help, or one of stark individualism in which everyone has to fend for themselves, or at best to rely on charity? This is not so much a political question as a moral one, a question pertaining to the moral basis of our common life. Much depends on how we answer it. [Read More…]

According to the article, the percentage of households in the United States with low food security is a high 9.1% while the percentage of households with very low food security is 5.4%. That means that a total of 14.5% of American households don’t know where there food is coming from and probably rely of food stamps.

What You Can Do Right Now

Here are a list of action steps that you can take to alleviate this disastrous problem:

1. Write to your Congressmen and Congresswomen as well as your Senators urging them to include provisions for food stamps in the Farm Bill.
2. In the same letter or another one, please urge your representatives to pass a bill that requires foods to be labeled as being derived from GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) foods. This will insure that the food people get won’t harm their intestinal tracks and deplete their immune system. For more information please see Are You Playing Genetic Roulette?
3. Find out what organizations are feeding the homeless and hungry in your community and offer support in the way of volunteer work, meals, and funding.
4. Please sign The Declaration of Interdependence to signify that you recognize the interdependent nature of our economy, environment, and political system even though our “public servants” seem to only think of themselves.

Do you have any other ideas on how we can feed the hungry children in America? Please share.