A New Report Says Hunger Persists in the United States

Bread for the World recommends more federal spending to help alleviate the problem.

Reduced federal spending and recession in 1981 and 1982 caused many of America’s hungry to turn to private organizations for assistance. The Reagan administration encouraged stepped-up private efforts and assured critics that a federal safety net would catch the truly needy. Reagan banked on the theory that general economic recovery would pick up the slack, and as unemployment dropped and inflation receded, more and more poor people would be able to sustain themselves economically.

The economic portion of that equation has tended to work out as planned, but the needs of many poor persons still go unmet, according to organizers of private nutrition programs around the country. A survey of their efforts—conducted by Bread for the World (BFW), a Christian citizen’s lobby—reports that “the severe crisis of the early 1980s has become a stubborn problem that refuses to go away.”

A BFW report, titled “Unfed America ’85,” notes that “private food providers say they are seeing their role transformed from that of short-term emergency food provider to long-term, permanent supplement to public assistance.” Furthermore, BFW executive director Arthur Simon said, “The safety net has gaping holes, and many people are falling through it.” In the 36 areas surveyed by BFW, an estimated 1.5 million people are going hungry, the report says. Private food assistance programs in those areas experienced an average 16 percent increase in demand over the past year.

The solution, according to BFW, is to restore federally funded nutrition programs to the growth trajectories they were on before Reagan began to cut spending. “Where programs are working well and people demonstrably in need are not being reached,” Simon said, “we should fund them more adequately.”

The programs in question include food stamps; supplemental feeding for women, infants, and children; school breakfast and lunch programs; and meals for the elderly. Cuts in food stamps have displaced about 1 million people from the rolls, reduced benefits to others, and ended federally financed efforts to inform eligible people about the program. While demand at private feeding centers has increased, BFW reports that food stamp participation among people served by the communities surveyed declined 9.5 percent. In those areas, 41 percent of the people who are eligible for food stamps do not receive them.

BFW recommends increasing food stamp benefits by 10 to 25 percent. In addition, it says eligibility standards should be relaxed and an information campaign begun so more households below the poverty line could participate.

BFW’s report was released one day after the U.S. House of Representatives approved a farm appropriations bill restoring $1 billion in food stamp funds over three years. This reinstates about 20 percent of the benefits cut in 1981, according to an aide to U.S. Rep. Leon Panetta (D-Calif.), who sponsored the amendment.

In the U.S. Senate, a similar farm measure scheduled for debate contains no increases for food stamps. A spokesman for the Senate Agriculture Committee said BFW’s proposal for increased spending is “way out of line—beyond what even the most liberal members of Congress are willing to sponsor.” He said a 10 percent increase—the minimum suggested by BFW—would add between $2 billion and $3 billion to the program, and the Senate is unlikely to back any increase at all.

Debate in Washington about ways to meet the needs of the poor is focusing increasingly on questions of underlying causes. Evidence put forward by some social policy analysts suggests that welfare dependency traps the poor in an underclass where values of working for a living, maintaining family stability, and planning for the future are eroded. Instead of financing this process by increasing federal programs, they say long-range solutions must be emphasized to break a tragic cycle of poverty.

Leslie Lenkowsky, a social policy analyst and former deputy director of the United States Information Agency, points out that the increasing number of female-headed households places heavy demands on private and public welfare assistance. In an article in Public Opinion, Lenkowsky wrote: “When poverty was mostly a matter of working men who had lost their jobs, supporting them … temporarily could be justified. When the elderly, sick and disabled lacked enough money, providing assistance seemed reasonable. But when a large segment of the poor consists of women with children who were born out of wedlock, the issue is not so clear. To what extent is this kind of poverty due to individual choice rather than to circumstances over which a person would normally have little control? And how can society respond to this sort of need without encouraging it to become more widespread?”

Simon, of BFW, agrees with the need to seek long-term solutions that do not require increased spending. He suggests approaching the problem from the standpoint of providing full employment. “Overwhelmingly, people who can work prefer to be employed,” he said. “They must be paid above the poverty level.” For those who cannot work, he advocates a rigorously woven safety net that provides consistent relief to the poor.

Meanwhile, in view of pressure on Congress to cut the budget further, Simon is determined to keep the plight of the poor central to public policy development.

WORLD SCENE

CHINA

Concern Over a Cult

China watchers have received reports that members of the Children of God cult have entered the People’s Republic of China as English teachers. Cult members reportedly have found a ready market among young Chinese citizens who are eager to mix with foreigners and learn English. The Children of God itself reported that the son of founder David Berg last year led a rally in Shanghai that attracted 500 youth.

Evangelical Missions Information Service reported that some China watchers fear the group will harm the growth of the church in China. In addition, some say the group’s practices may so alarm Chinese authorities that they could curb the entry of other religious groups into the country. In the past, the Children of God allegedly used prostitution to recruit members.

NEPAL

‘Intimidation and Terror’

An evangelical leader from Nepal says his country’s Hindu government is waging a campaign of “intimidation and terror” against Christians. Charles Mendies, executive director of the David Evangelistic Outreach, said that since March, more than 50 Christians have been arrested and charged with “preaching Christianity; causing a disturbance to Hinduism.” Two U.S. citizens were among those arrested.

In one incident, Mendies says, Hindu militants attacked six Christians who were leading a funeral procession. The militants beat the Christians, stole the body of the deceased, and cremated it according to Hindu tradition. Mendies says the six Christians were arrested and released on bail after ten days of interrogation. Their case is still pending.

Mendies, along with Campus Crusade for Christ leader Adon Rongong, faces charges in Nepal for evangelizing Hindus. Each could receive a six-year prison sentence.

THE WORLD

AIDS Cases Surpass 15,000

World Health Organization officials said the number of reported cases of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) surpassed 15,000 worldwide by mid-September. The figure for the United States rose to 13,074, up from 12,612 cases reported by August 30.

Worldwide figures include 1,284 cases in Europe, 723 in Latin America, 103 in Australia, and 15 in Asia. No cases were reported in Africa, although several hundred are suspected there. Many countries, including New Zealand and the Soviet bloc nations, reported no cases.

The World Health Organization has initiated measures to combat AIDS. The United Nations agency is seeking to identify vaccines that might be adapted for use against AIDS, to improve the exchange of information about AIDS, and to coordinate a worldwide strategy for containing the disease.

AIDS was first identified in 1981 in the United States, where the number of cases has doubled every year since 1983. AIDS attacks lymphocytes that are responsible for the body’s defense against disease.

ISRAEL

Baptists Face Another Delay

A regional development commission has rejected a plan to replace a Jerusalem church that was destroyed three years ago by arsonists. The Narkis Street Baptist Church sought permission to build a facility that included a 400-seat auditorium, several Sunday school rooms, and office space. The city of Jerusalem approved the plan, but it has been bogged down in the regional development commission for a year.

Opposition from Y’ad L’achim, a conservative Jewish organization, has helped to slow the process. It is thought that the regional development commission will allow the construction of a 60-seat worship center, equivalent to the structure that was burned in 1982. The 300-member Narkis Street congregation has been meeting in a tent-like structure since the fire.

BURUNDI

Are Christians Dying in Jail?

Amnesty International, a London-based human rights group, says a number of Christians have died in Burundi jails during the past few months. The rights group says a Catholic priest was among the victims.

Several priests have been arrested for celebrating Mass outside the state-authorized hours for such activities. In March, Burundi’s interior ministry banned church-related activities before 5 P.M. The government said such activities were interfering with the country’s economic progress. However, sources both inside and outside Burundi have said the move was meant to minimize the influence of Western churches.

MEXICO

Help After the Earthquakes

Evangelical churches and organizations in central Mexico were quick to respond when earthquakes left more than 5,000 dead, 10,000 injured, and 31,000 homeless. Several churches in Mexico City began providing meals, shelter, and medical care within hours. Churches outside the capital sent food, clothing, and water.

Mexico City’s First Baptist Church at one point provided temporary housing for 500 people, an around-the-clock kitchen for refugees and rescue teams, and a clinic. World Vision employees bought several thousand dollars’ worth of food and blankets for emergency shelters.

The Baptist seminary in suburban Lomas Verdes and CAM International’s Puebla Bible Seminary canceled classes and put students to work in evangelism, counseling, and physical help. CAM International printed 250,000 special tracts and a 32-page book about the earthquakes that included an evangelistic message.

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