The federal government has officially put an end to hunger in America.

The word, anyway.

The new official term, adopted several years ago by the US Department of Agriculture, is “food insecurity.”

By any name, it still means struggling to put food on the table, skipping meals, and sometimes going to bed hungry because there’s nothing in the pantry and very little money to stock it.

The USDA has just released the latest statistics on just how many Americans suffer the pangs of “food insecurity.” The findings are a national disgrace.

·         More than 36 million Americans struggled to put enough food on the table at least some time during 2007.

·         An estimated 691,000 children didn’t get enough to eat to be active and healthy—a number 50 percent higher than it was in 2006.

·         Almost 12 million adults and children suffered “very low food security.”

·         The biggest increases in “food insecurity” over the past nine years were tallied in Iowa and Alaska.

·         States with the greatest number of people going hunger were Mississippi, New Mexico, Texas, and Arkansas.

As bad as those numbers are, the reality on the ground today is likely to be worse, since the USDA’s report is for 2007 and doesn’t take into account the consequences of this year’s economic turmoil. One gauge of increasing hardship is the number of households enrolled in the food stamp program (which has now changed its name to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP). That tally climbed from 12,432,801 households in January to 13,220,998 in August, the most recent month for which data is available.

With more lay-offs looming, the situation in coming months is likely to get even more desperate.

An adequate and varied diet is the cornerstone of good health, from infancy to old age. The latest numbers show that for far too many Americans, a nutritious meal is a luxury they can’t afford.

Emergency food aid programs, which include food banks, food pantries, and meal programs, are the country’s last defense against hunger. But many of these programs are struggling as food prices climb and the lines outside their doors grow longer. Some report having to turn applicants away. Others have cut back on the food they offer.

There’s plenty all of us can do to help end hunger, from volunteering at local food banks to donating money or food. A good place to start is Feeding America, which represents food banks around the country and works on many fronts to fight hunger. The site allows you to donate directly or find a local food bank where you can volunteer to help.

Tags: Feeding America, food banks, food insecurity, hunger, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, U.S. Depatment of Agriculture