Eric Mitchell, President, Alliance to End Hunger
November 5 marked the end of one of the most polarizing campaign seasons in recent memory. This year’s election in the United States in many ways brought out the very worst of our nation’s character, pitting individuals, families, and communities of different political persuasions against each other in downright animosity.
The emotion of the last few days has been felt far and wide. I myself have not been immune from it, and I know many of you reading this have strong feelings one way or another as well. But I also know this: one day before the election there were over 700 million hungry people in the world and over 40 million people in the United States facing food insecurity; and today, there are still over 700 million hungry people in the world and over 40 million people in the United States facing food insecurity. The political landscape in which we are advocating and fighting may have just changed, but the fundamentals of what we know and what we are fighting for as the Alliance to End Hunger and the larger anti-hunger community remain the same. The day after the election, my 14-year-old daughter reminded me that “hunger has no politics.” She is absolutely right!
We know that worldwide, anywhere between 700 and 750 million people are facing hunger right now. There are families facing the prospect of severe hunger and even famine in Gaza, Sudan, and Yemen, with severe hardships faced by farmers and communities in the Northern Triangle of Central America, Haiti, Afghanistan, and many other places. We know that malnutrition contributes to over 40 percent of under-5 mortality globally. We know that the changing climate, conflict, and political and economic uncertainty are pushing more and more people to the edge of desperation across the planet.
We know that here in the United States there are almost 18 million households facing food insecurity, with individuals wondering if they should buy food, medication, or pay rent at times when doing all three is impossible. We know that even here in the U.S., farmers are feeling the impact of climate volatility and changing availability of resources such as water. We know that children, Black and Hispanic populations, and the elderly are disproportionally impacted by hunger across the country.
But here is what we also know: we know what works. We know that Feed the Future and the subsequent Global Food Security Act have built lives and livelihoods for tens of millions of families over two decades. Food for Peace has been providing emergency relief and developing markets and communities for 70 years. The McGovern-Dole Food for Education Program has been providing not only food but also hope to millions of school-age children – especially girls – as they look forward to building a better life for themselves and their families. We know that the SNAP program in the United States has kept millions of people from going hungry, and that Child Tax Credits have lifted millions of children out of poverty. For 50 years, WIC has provided mothers and children with essential nutrition and health services during some of the most critical years of development. Additional federal programs have provided crucial resources to food banks, tribal communities, older Americans, and so many more.
And we know that our advocacy has worked to build up, strengthen, and protect these precious and valuable programs for decades.
These fundamentals of what we know do not change depending on who sits behind the Resolute Desk or within the chambers of Congress. Our mission remains the same: to unite diverse sectors to address today’s hunger and malnutrition needs and to solve the root causes of hunger at home and abroad.
Again, hunger doesn’t care about political parties, and neither should we. If we hold to what we know and commit to advocating for our convictions and for what we know works, I still believe we can end hunger in a generation. I know we can.
