Charitable efforts can't stem the tide.

• Position: Report on hunger

Despite vast expenditures of food, money, and time, hunger in the U.S. has increased by 50% since 1985, according to Hunger 1994: Transforming the Politics of Hunger, Bread for the World Institute's fourth annual report on the state of world hunger. This trend contrasts sharply with the enormous feeding movement which has emerged in the U.S. during the past several years. Since 1980, more than 150,000 private organizations have emerged that distribute $34,000,000,000 worth of food to hungry people annually. Yet, approximately 30,000,000 Americans are hungry--more than 10% of the U.S. population--and 36,900,000 Americans live below the poverty level, more than at any time since 1962.

Globally, the statistics are even worse. In Somalia, approximately 300,000-500,000 people perished between 1991 and mid 1993. Worldwide, 1,300,000,000 people live in absolute poverty. The world spends one trillion dollars a year on militarization while 1,000,000,000 people subsist on less than $1 a day.

The report maintains that hunger will not end unless charitable initiatives are complemented by stronger government efforts. Currently, food stamp benefit levels are based on a household budget that is 24% below participants' actual average food expenditures. The Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, infants and Children (WIC) receives only enough Federal funding to reach 60% of those eligible. The Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) benefit, which is not indexed for inflation, lost 42% of its purchasing power between 1970 and 1991. The median value of AFDC and food stamps combined for a family of three is 72% of the poverty line.

"People need to re-examine their contributions to the anti-hunger movement," indicates David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World Institute. "Some of the effort devoted to helping hungry people must be channeled toward changing ineffective...