Friday, August 19, 2005

Indiana Hunger Summit

This stat really jumps out at you: "According to the most recent data available, 238,887 or 9 percent of Indiana's households are experiencing hunger and food insecurity each month."

Why? Indiana's current unemployment rate is 5.1% (according to the Indiana Workforce Development website.) While that doesn't mean that exactly 3.9% of Indiana households are employed but going hungry it seems indisputable that many of these households are gainfully employed but still going hungry.

According to Charles Warren, Research Manager of the Indiana Institute for Working Families, ICHHI, “Food insecurity and hunger are primarily an income issue and can only be addressed through economic development programs that increase the personal income of all Hoosiers."

That means job training, and transistion assistance for people trying to complete job training. It means making a real effort at funding programs that help the poor rise about the poverty line. The question is will the Daniels administration rise to the challenge, or try and sweep it under the rug?

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