US Congress Discovers Food Pantries Exist, Still Funds Foreign Wars
The Independent, in a truly heartwarming display of civic engagement, published an article titled 'The items food pantries want you to stop donating.' This vital instruction arrives as nearly 50 million Americans face daily food insecurity. The piece, meticulously detailing the do's and don'ts of charity, gracefully sidesteps the elephant in the room: why such vast numbers rely on charity at all.
It’s hard to focus on the proper expiration date of canned beans when a dollar invested in feeding a family domestically could've prevented a cluster bomb from landing abroad. Meanwhile, the very politicians who lament domestic poverty (occasionally) consistently approve gargantuan military aid packages. For instance, the recent $95 billion foreign aid bill, passed overwhelmingly by Congress
earlier this year, included $14 billion for Israel. This largesse comes from the coffers of a nation where food pantries are rationing donations, and 1 in 7 children live in households experiencing food insecurity. One might wonder if the 'fresh vegetables' food banks prefer are grown from the trillions we funnel into endless conflicts.