Hunger solutions in Annapolis and Washington

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On Thursday, March 21, Maryland Hunger Solutions hosted a legislative breakfast to discuss food policy in Maryland. In addition to eating breakfast, there are other things we should do to fight hunger.

In spite of Maryland's overall wealth, hunger, homelessness and poverty remain problems here. One in 10 people are poor. Based on official USDA statistics, one in 8 Maryland households cannot afford adequate food at some point during the year (up from one in 12 just a few years ago). 50,000 Marylanders are homeless at some point each year.

In our budgeting and public policy, Maryland’s leaders have done a lot to improve these things. They have respected the social safety net while implementing a balanced approach to balancing the budget. They expanded Medicaid and moved forward to implement the Affordable Care Act and state health exchange. They are moving forward on a five-year program to provide in-class breakfasts at all eligible schools.

The situation in most other states around the country is actually much worse – both in terms of the rates of hunger, poverty and homelessness, and the commitment of the political leadership. Still, in the wealthiest state in America, we can and should do better.

On the federal level, things have gone haywire. The forces of greed and fear are telling us that people should not feel “entitled” to food, shelter, and medical care. These things ought to be efficiently allocated by market forces on the basis of ability to pay. The savings should be used to reduce taxes on investment earnings and corporate profits, according to some.

Our national leaders DO need to reform the nation’s finances to bring down the long-term budget deficit. We should support a “Grand Bargain” to accomplish these goals. But not everything should be on the table. Cuts to “Domestic Discretionary Expenditures” that affect Food Stamps, WIC, school meals, and other vital safety net food programs must not be negotiable. Cutting food for the hungry should not be part of a partisan political deal.

Our jobs as advocates include:

1. Thank Governor O’Malley and our legislators for preserving and enhancing key food and health efforts here in Maryland.
2. Advocate for structural solutions to hunger and poverty to prevent problems in the future. Things like minimum wage and paid sick day policies really are hunger solutions. Ultimately, so are funding for public schools and promoting access to higher education and job skill training.
3. Tell our representatives in Congress to protect food, housing and healthcare for low-income Americans as they come to a sane agreement to reduce future deficits.