Cyndi's Two Cents

Tough choices for many

The countdown is on!  Christmas is days away.  Our halls are decked, most of the presents are wrapped, and you can hear Faron Young singing Christmas carols when you step in the back door of our house.

I feel blessed in many ways this Christmas season.  I feel especially blessed that, unlike many people in my community today, the most difficult decision I have to make about food is how many ounces of oysters I should purchase for my oyster dressing.

I do not have to make the choices that many others will have to make.  Choices like:

Eat or buy fuel for their vehicles so they can get to work and back home.
Eat or pay for electricity and/or propane to provide heat for their families during these cold winter months.
Eat or pay rent so their families have a roof over their precious heads.
When most of us consider who among us is hungry, we think of those who are homeless, living in shelters or disengaged from our society in some way (usually of their own choosing.)  There are many people in our communities who struggle silently, under the radar, feeling guilty and ashamed that they are unable to provide enough food for their families or themselves.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) an estimated 14.3 percent of American households were food insecure at least some time during the year in 2013, meaning they lacked access to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members.

Children and adults were food insecure at times during 2013 in 9.9 percent of households with children. At times during the year, these 3.8 million households were unable to provide adequate, nutritious food for their children.

Does that break your heart?  It should.  Even if every one of these households were headed up by someone who chooses to spend what little money they have on drugs or alcohol instead of food for their family, the children should not have to suffer the consequences.

People fall on hard times.  Many people I know are just one paycheck away from disaster.  Some have made mistakes that put them in this position.  Others have simply fallen on hard times in the past and are trying to climb up and out of an economic hole.

According to the U.S. government, the annual income threshold last year for being counted as living in poverty was $11,490 for a person and $23,550 for a family of four.  In 2013, 14.7 million children (19.9 percent) under 18 years of age lived in poverty.  Nearly one third of those households headed up by a single mother were in poverty.

Poverty and food insecurity exists in every county in this great country.  You might not know the struggles your neighbor faces every day.  One of the highlights of the year for my little country church is the annual “Families in Need” program.  It is an opportunity for us to share our abundance with a few families who might otherwise go without during the Christmas season.  I know many of you participate in similar programs.  It is my hope that we remember to donate to food banks or help our less fortunate neighbors all year long.