780 over Lunch

The fact that I’m writing over my lunch break is not surprising.  It’s something I do often as a break from design work.  But, today, as I eat the hamburger with pineapple and dorito chips I brought from home, the irony of this act is hard to ignore.  Because I’m writing about hunger.  My tiny, muffled stomach growls are silent now and my hunger has been assuaged by leftovers and sweet tea.  But, my hunger is not the hunger some have.  My hunger comes at mid-morning or early afternoon and is postponed by my lunch bag or jelly beans, Double Bubble or  Girl Scout cookies.  My hunger comes in early evening when I open the refrigerator to decide what I will make my family for supper.  It is easily put in it’s place with placemats and pitchers of tea and two boys, a baby and a man around the same table.  My hunger creeps in sometimes before bed and is easily pushed aside by some flavor of chocolate I’ve purchased for just such an occasion.  The hunger for mine is easily kept at bay with juice and goldfish and bottles of formula.  The main concerns for our tummies are how to get food on the table at a decent hour and will they eat what I’ve planned or do I need to also warm some chicken nuggets.  No, my hunger is not the hunger some have.

I was reminded of the hunger others have in my morning drive to work.  The KLOVE radio network is conducting a donation drive for Compassion International today–a day deemed “Global Food Crisis Day”.  The statistic astounded me:

There are 25,000 starvation-related deaths worldwide each day.

Thy typical “marketing” conundrum with statistics of these kinds are that they are sometimes so staggering that they become mind-numbing.  They lose their significance because of sheer size or other-worldliness.  So, to satisfy my inner geek, and to comprehend, I challenged myself (and Google):  Show me the numbers.  Show me their significance in a 24-hour period.

6 million Jews died in the Jewish Holocaust over a 13 year period (1933-1945).  Unchecked hunger will claim that number in 8 months.

4575 Coalition military have been killed in Iraq over the last 7 years (2003-2009). Unchecked hunger will claim that number in 4 hours 23 minutes–before I can get supper on my table tonight.

March Madness will highlight a select few recipients of the 6982 NCAA men’s college basketball scholarships available each year.  Unchecked hunger will claim that number in 6 hours 42 minutes–about 3 basketball games including TV timeouts.

There are pproximately 693,000 people in each Congressional district electing a member of the House of Representatives.  Unchecked hunger will claim that number in 28 days.

26 million folks watched American Idol last night.  Unchecked hunger will claim that number in just over 2 1/2 years.

There are 175 million FaceBook users.  Unchecked hunger will claim that number in just under 20 years.

There were 306 million residents in the United States as of February 2009.  Unchecked hunger will claim that number in 34 years.  Not even one generation’s time to lose an entire multi-generational population.

Here are the numbers on hunger from Compassion International’s world hunger fact sheet:

• 1 person in 7 goes to bed hungry every day
• 1/3 of the world’s population is undernourished
• There are 25,000 starvation-related deaths each day
• More than 300 million children go to bed hungry each night
• Over 12,000 children (one every 7 seconds) die from hunger-related causes each day
• 146 million or 27 percent of children under age 5 in developing countries are underweight
• Nearly 17 percent of babies in developing countries are born with a low birth weight compared with only
• 7 percent of babies in industrialized countries.
• More than 4.4 million children die from malnutrition each year.
• Worldwide, 161 million preschool children suffer chronic malnutrition.

The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 25, Number 1 tells me:

“Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food…”

The same rising food costs that make me compain when I buy my 3 gallons of milk each week are diminishing the reach of many hunger relief agencies and organizations.  I’m convicted that the money I spent Saturday on snacks and convenience-builders for my family–3 boxes of honey buns, a bag of Doritoes, a box of Lucky Charms, 2 bags of french fries, 1 cataloupe, 2 bags of chicken nuggets, and a bag of grated cheddar–would likely feed a child on the other side of the world for 3 or 4 months.  Yes, I said MONTHS.  I’m astounded that in the 45 minutes or so I’ve been typing on my laptop and munching chips, about 780 people somewhere in the world starved to death.

Yes, that hunger is another kind.  God help me.

Visit compassion.com to find out more about World Hunger and about how you can help.
Visit freerice.com to build your vocabulary and “buy” rice for people who are hungry.