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Thanksgiving: Some gorge, some starve
Cody Gittings
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Traditionally, Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks for those things that we are, well… thankful for.
For most, these “things” are often friends and family, food, shelter and those other things necessary for a comfortable living. In maintaining the tradition and the spirit of the season, I must say that I am truly thankful for my friends and family, as well as for all of those things that allow me to attend a university, type this article on a MacBook Pro (courtesy of Apple and my parents), and wake up every morning knowing that I do not have to work a minimum wage job in order to ensure my family’s and my own survival.
The scene at my home in Lamoille, Nevada this Thanksgiving holiday was that of a typical middle-class American household. The air outside was crisp and cold, while inside I put another log to the toasty fire ablaze in the fireplace. Delightful aromas emanated from the kitchen as the dinner hour quickly approached, and my uncle watched the Denver Broncos battle the New York Giants on television. A short while later, I found myself sitting amongst family at the dinner table, devouring the massive plate of food that lay before me and sipping from a glass half-full of a delicious Riesling wine. Amidst all of this luxury though, I found myself thinking not of these things that surrounded me, but rather of those people who are much less fortunate than myself.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, about 35.9 million people live below the poverty line in America. Of these people, 12.9 million are children, and despite an abundance of food resources in the United States, these people go hungry
Cody Gittings
According to soundvision.com in an article titled “Statistics on Poverty and Food Wastage in America,” almost 100 billion pounds of food is wasted each year in America. Further, according to a study conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service titled “Estimating and Addressing America’s Food Losses,” this waste accounts for more than a quarter of the 356 billion pounds of food available for consumption in the United States.
Knowing this, I find it quite disturbing that the typical middle-class American is able to gorge his or herself so comfortably and carelessly on a day like Thanksgiving – a holiday based upon the principles of care and consideration of others.
Now, you may be saying, “Hey! My family welcomes plenty of family members into our home for the holidays. We do care about people!”
Frankly though, this isn’t enough. I believe it’s our responsibility as citizens of this nation to reach out to those who are less fortunate than us, and to provide them with the tools necessary to live comfortably and combat poverty. When the average American wastes an average of 130 pounds of food each year (according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture), there is no reason that we cannot muster some small donation to families living below the poverty line, especially on a day like Thanksgiving when a good chunk of this waste occurs.
Fortunately, there are organizations that exist today that enable citizens to help the many millions of Americans that go hungry on a day-to-day basis. According to uspoverty.change.org, since President Obama has taken office, The White House, USDA and Corporation for National and Community Service have joined forces to launch a new volunteer initiative called “United We Serve: Feed a Neighbor.” This initiative is designed to inspire Americans to serve their communities and to build a better future for our country. In addition to this program, there are many other organizations seeking to combat poverty and injustice in the U.S. like Oxfam America, which hopes to allow people to grow more food, access clean water, start small businesses or rebuild after disasters.
Like myself, I am sure that many of you have thought about those less fortunate than yourself this Thanksgiving holiday. However, in order to truly realize the magnitude of the epidemic that is poverty in America, we must become aware of the fact that poverty exists daily, and that we must take action not only on major holidays, but on a regular basis throughout our lives. I implore you all to take action against poverty in America by any means that you have available. For more information on “United We Serve: Feed a Neighbor,” visit www.serve.gov, and to learn more about Oxfam America, visit www.oxfamamerica.org.
I'm pretty sure most awareness groups, if not all, do back up their programs with some kind of action. Let's say, poverty. A couple of weeks ago, VSB had Poverty Issues Week and through their awareness-raising programs, they collected food to donate to the food bank and money to send students to SBA.
The Tunnel of Oppression is also an awareness-raising event and I think it's the type of event where raising awareness is all there is to be done. And they did a great job in helping people understand what people from different background have and still are going through.
The thing is, just because some of us already know these things doesn't mean that everyone else should know them too. Keep an open mind that we're all different.
Also, every little thing done to help those in need, whether be it through raising awareness or through legitimate action, helps.
I apologize for the late response, though I think you may have meant to comment on the "Awareness is a means, not an end" article. Please correct me if I'm wrong though!
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