America's New Needy

Imagine this:

Six months ago you are standing in line at the grocery store, flipping through a trashy celebrity magazine while on your way to pick up your kids at soccer practice.  Your new SUV is outside in the parking lot.  You are the model of the American middle-class--a large and increasingly diverse group of self-reliant families and individuals.

Now, flash forward to the present.  You're standing in line at the local food pantry, looking at everyone standing around you, wondering how in the world things got so bad.

For many of Americans, the scenario above is not a dream (or rather a nightmare).  It is instead an unfortunate reality that is just starting to be dealt with by hunger activists and organizations dealing with what can only be called the nation's "new needy."

Earlier this week, the Washington Post helped document how families in and around the nation's capital are dealing with the free fall from their middle-class lifestyles.  Most significantly to me, the article shows that even people living in the wealthiest county in the entire country (Louden County, VA) are starting to find their way to the local food pantry.  No one is immune.

Food banks, and the pantries and kitchens they serve, are struggling to keep up with the exploding demand among middle-class families seeking emergency food assistance.  The problem is compounded by the fact that many of the new clients were once donors of food themselves.

There also seems to be a unique challenge in helping to meet the needs of this new demographic.  More than anything else, people seeking food assistance for the first time often feel ashamed of needing to ask for help.  Hunger relief workers have noticed that the new needy, for example, will not stand in line to receive allotments of food out of fear that they will be recognized by one of their neighbors or co-workers.

Although this story is disheartening, there is room to learn and reflect on the lesson that we all should take from this.  At any moment, we could find ourselves in a position where we require assistance feeding ourselves.  For this reason alone, we should make an effort to help those that are currently less fortunate, because one day, they might be helping us.

(Photo credit: D'Arcy Norman on Flickr)