Have you ever had to go hungry ?

[AsahinaKimi]

Ran out of money.. No one around to help..

[Autumn]

1. Other. Yes I have. n/t

[Scuba]

2. Only as a poor college student who wasted his money on beer and girls.

It's all about priorities, right?

[Skittles]

13. George Best certainly agreed

I spent a lot of money on booze, birds (women) and fast cars. The rest I just squandered."

[surrealAmerican]

3. Other:

a few times, but not recently

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

4. Yes. There is nothing romantic or glamorous about being poor and hungry.

[AsahinaKimi]

8. I asked this because Hunger is a major problem

EVEN here in the United States. Who would have thought it could happen here? Its a sad thing, and Yes, I have been without food several times in my life, so I know what hunger feels like.

[Cid_B]

5. Survival school...

Sucked until we found two copperheads. Not much meat but a moral victory...

Then it continued to suck. :)

[MADem]

6. A very long time ago, and it was no fun. nt

[Tumbulu]

7. growing up....and then

putting myself through college- dumpster dove, hand gleaned already harvested food.....worked for wealthy people who were very generous to me...traded cooking for frat guys for meat....traded work at a local coop for carrots....

Used to feel downright sorry for myself, until I served in the Peace Corps in West Africa and saw starvation and malnutrition first hand. Being poor in a rich country, one has a chance, at least I did. Being poor in a land of famine is quite another matter.

[elocs]

9. Never, and I grew up poor. Single mom with 3 kids, but we never went hungry.

Even when I was out of work for a year recently Foodshare kept me from ever going hungry. Fortunately, it's just me and I know where to go for help, how to jump through the hoops and do what needs to be done to get the help I need.

[Brickbat]

10. Other: Yes, but only when living abroad. And I knew it was only temporary.

[inna]

11. Other: Yes, I Have.

[Skittles]

12. no and honestly, it's what defines POVERTY to me

being unsure of your next meal :(

[emcguffie]

14. A category is missing.

"Occasionally, nowadays," or something like that, is not there. It should be. There are two that are very similar: a lot nowadays, and -- I forget the other one, and can't see it now. But it means fairly often in the recent past, I think?

What am I trying to say? Yes, recently, due to financial changes and reduced circumstances, but not really every week or anything like that. Maybe a day or two most months, but not all months.

[AsahinaKimi]

17. Yeh...

When I first posted it, I thought it would be a straight Yes or No answer, but that didn't seem to be very interesting. Its hard to flesh out, all the variables.. thats why "Other" always comes in handy, cause someone will always think of something to add to it! Thanks!

I like how someone posted "Foodshare", because its good to have those resources when they are needed.

[valerief]

28. I was thinking "Not Yet", because I anticipate it coming in the future. nt

[AsahinaKimi]

30. Oh I hope not!!

I hope you can find options!

[MoonRiver]

15. Only voluntarily, when dieting. nt

[elocs]

16. Also, I work for a homeless shelter. Those staying there get 3 good meals a day + snacks.

The meals are prepared by a man who used to be a chef and he does a lot with what he has.

Lunch and dinners are served to anyone, no questions asked (except Tuesday nights are for residents only).

This shelter also operates a food pantry for those who are income eligible. One Friday a girl came in after the pantry had closed because she said she had been sick and had no food for the weekend. She was given all the food she needed to get her through until Monday, again, no questions asked.

Yes, a lot of people go hungry, but fortunately the shelter where I work helps to make sure a lot of people have enough to eat.

[sam11111]

18. yet $295 000 000 000 000 (trillions) is US wealth

Says Discovery Channel...Nov 13 '11

"What's Amer. Worth?" Show

More with graph link at
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=114x92026

[JuniperLea]

19. Have you noticed how they don't call it "hunger" in the media anymore?

It's now "food insecurity."

[blaze]

20. Feel incredibly fortunate to answer, No, never nt

[bluestate10]

21. As a boy and when going to college, I often went hungry. nt

[inna]

22. highly rec'd in general, but poorly thought out caregories

[Odin2005]

23. Just a few months ago.

:(

[bigwillq]

24. No (nt)

[_eh]

25. Thank God, No.

I'm Canadian.

[riderinthestorm]

26. No never but that's because I was never too proud to dumpster dive

or take the (untouched) leavings off someone's plate when I waitressed. I've wandered around grocery stores and "sampled" my way through a meal, and I've gone from deli to deli asking for a sample of this or that to at least get something to eat. I've also done other even "lower" things but won't go into all the details here.

[Texasgal]

27. No. Never.

Eating less most folks? YES.

Ramen was a staple for me for years, trying to get through nursing school.

[Downtown Hound]

29. I volunarily went without food for four days one time

on a vision quest in he desert. Have I ever gone hungry due to poverty? No. All I can tell you is that after about three days, you become so weak that even walking sort distances becomes an ordeal. No one who has ever experienced that would demand that starving people pull themselves up by their bootstraps. It's kind of a hard thing to do when you can barely move.

[loyalsister]

31. Oddly enough

Several times because of lack of $. But also because of lack of transportation.

[NEOhiodemocrat]

32. Came real close but no

But only because when I was at my most down stage I had an aunt I could visit who would feed me and my two little boys at the drop of a hat. She got us through some tough months.

[DireStrike]

33. I was very lucky to have a bit of family around during certain points

I would have definitely gone hungry and would almost certainly have been on the street or in a shelter.

[pa28]

34. Yes. During college it happened quite few times.

Good periods during this particular "day" meant money for eggs and potatoes. Bad times meant tea as my only meal because tea was cheaper than coffee.

The experience changed me and I'm still trying to decide if it was for the better or for the worse. One thing I'm sure of is that nobody should go hungry in such a wealthy country and it happens every day on a massive scale.

[Prometheus Bound]

35. For three weeks in Kano, Nigeria, I ate only half a piece of bread a day.

Guess what my dreams were about.

[BlueToTheBone]

36. when I first moved out on my own and made very little money

I think it was about $.90 hour. It took awhile to get beyond peanut butter sandwiches without the bread.

[redqueen]

37. Yes. (nt)

[Withywindle]

38. Yes.

[Lucinda]

39. Yep.

[Rhythm]

40. Other: Yes. I was homeless for almost a year as a late teen.

Did what i had to do to survive the situation until i could change the situation... but very, very often i went for days without eating.

Having been there, this gives me a lot more compassion toward those i see suffering now.

[Populist_Prole]

41. A few times during the school week when I commuted to junior college

Worked during the weekends at minimum wage. There were days I had enough money for bridge and parkway tolls, or to eat. Not both. I didn't want to ask family or friends for money...felt too ashamed.

[ellisonz]

42. I was able to get EBT in the nick of time.

:thumbsup:

[Blue_In_AK]

43. There have been some really lean times in my life,

but I've always managed to scrounge up something, even if it was just grits and eggs or fried potatoes and ketchup.


The best Christmas present I ever got -- and this is no lie -- was a box of food from my boss back when I was in my early 20s. I had only been at my job a short time when I caught that horrible Hong Kong flu in 1968. I wasn't eligible for sick days yet and I had no insurance or money to pay for a doctor. I kept trying to go to work, but ended up really sick for over two weeks right at Christmastime. No money for food, and I'm so weak I can't even walk across the room. Going to a doctor was out of the question. I just couldn't afford it. When Mr. Baird showed up at my apartment door with that box of food, I thought he was an angel. I'll never, ever forget that.

[animato]

44. You can always stroll the supermarket aisles munching a meal

replacement bar. The USA is much more tolerant than other countries in that respect - it's unlikely you'd be arrested or noticed though it's an act of last resort obviously.

[Norrin Radd]

45. Many times, in my twenties, during the 90's. Severely

malnourished the rest of the time.

[T S Justly]

46. "a hungry man is...

...an angry man". - The Mahatma Gandhi

*spelling