Why is there Hunger in the United States? Hunger in these wealthy United States has many causes. But the basic reason is poverty-- most hungry people in this country are poor, and they are usually poor because of social, political and economic forces beyond their control.  Some of the public priorities which foster poverty are wage and tax policies favoring the more well-to-do; spending policies which shift money from social needs like education, housing and health care to military and corporate needs like unnecessary weaponry and huge tax cuts for big corporations. Declining real wages, erosion of pension benefits, decreased unionization of workers, and cuts in safety net spending have all contributed to hunger and poverty. In our view, hunger is not solved by charitable giving. Charitable giving is crucial - hunger can be temporarily assuaged by a food bank or a hand-out - but these band-aids will not solve the underlying problem. To solve the problems of hunger and poverty, we need basic public policy changes. We need to be sure that working people earn enough to feed their families and that those who don't earn enough have a sufficient public safety net to depend on. This means full funding for such safety-net programs as food stamps, welfare, energy assistance and housing. It means emphasis on good education so young people can compete successfully in the marketplace. For those without sufficient income or adequate safety net funding, food banks and pantries are a critical resource. Food banks must be at the end of the line, not the beginning. Click here to return to the About Hunger and Poverty Page