This year Blog Action Day is devoted to Poverty and since this is a web site focusing on sustainable resources and in particular food I am addressing the twin issues of Poverty and Food Stamps with a particular slant towards New York City.  Blog Action Day also coincides with the most recent publication of the Food Bank for New York City entitled NYC Hunger Experience 2008.

Most people think of New York as the land of opportunity... Wall Street, Real Estate, high Stakes jobs in fashion and publishing, but the underbelly of New York reveals a much harsher truth and this is not the result of the current economic crisis.  There has been a 55 percent increase to 3.1 million New Yorkers having difficulty affording food in 2007.  That is 38% of the city's population.  This is consistent with a rising trend in the number of residents accessing New York City's network of emergency food programs such as soup kitchens and food pantries.  From 2004 to 2007, the number of of NYC residents turning to emergency food increased by 24%. 

Most interestingly,there is a growing percentage of middle income residents having difficulty affording food:
From 2003 to 2007 the percentage of  NYC residents who had difficulty affording food with annual household incomes between:
$25,000 and $49,999 has doubled from 21% to 42%;
$50,000 and $74,999 has almost doubled from 14% to 27%;
$75,000 has increased 21%--five times more than in 2003 and 6% more than in 2006. .. more to come

Please watch the video below to learn more about Blog Action Day and go to the Blog Action web site to link to other registered sites!

Blog Action Day 2008 Poverty from Blog Action Day on Vimeo.