Remembering world hunger in the Land of the Obese

By the time you finish reading this column, 85 people will have died from a preventable… By the time you finish reading this column, 85 people will have died from a preventable cause. Even if you use all the talents college has allowed you to master, and spend a minute skimming, in that time, the avoidable killer will have taken the lives of 17 people, because every mere minute, 17 people die of starvation.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ With that last line, I fear this column lost a hefty amount of readers. World hunger? Who wants to read about that? It’s hardly a novel or controversial concept.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Plus, death by starvation is difficult for us to fully understand. After all, we live in the United States, Land of the Obese, Home of the Eating Disorders.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ I’m not exempt from either category. If I go 15 minutes without consuming something in the ice cream family, I roll around on the floor, clutch my stomach and groan that I’m wasting away to nothing. Also, I’m sure I’ve passed up a meal in order to look a nanometer skinnier.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ But, as Pitt students, we are more in touch with the outside world than are many at confined college campuses. Our campus spreads into Oakland. Our sidewalks are shared with the homeless. Our volunteer organizations spend time at soup kitchens and homeless shelters. And it would be shocking if no reader experienced hunger firsthand.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Thirty thousand children die every day because of hunger. That’s equivalent to Pitt’s entire student body — including the graduate schools — dying each day. Hunger is not only a problem in countries featured in sponsor-a-child commercials, but also here.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Americans make up 12 million of the 840 million people, according to the USAID Web site, suffering from malnutrition. Eight hundred and forty million. I wish I had some brilliant metaphor to express how large an amount that is. I don’t, because I have no conception of such a large number.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ But the 2000 United States Census reported that 281 million people live in the U.S. If we imagine everyone here and multiply that by three, that’s how many people don’t have enough to eat.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ But perhaps the greatest tragedy with hunger is that it is completely unnecessary. According to the Oxfam America Web site, there are more than enough resources to supply the world with proper nutrition. If a cure for cancer or AIDS was discovered, shouldn’t everything be done to ensure every suffering individual received the life-saving cure? The same logic should be applied to eradicate hunger.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ With so many problems plaguing our world, one natural response is to hide from them all. When I have a gazillion things to do, I have the fabulous habit of not doing anything. I fear that if I attempt to complete my homework, I’ll realize how much there is to do, become overwhelmed, have a nervous breakdown, and my roommates will force me to move to Tower C. But doing something would be better than nothing. The same goes for addressing a worldwide crisis.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ The first step is not being bored by hunger news or other life-threatening issues. We’re bombarded by the world’s problems, so it’s no surprise that we’re numb. But there’s nothingpreventing us from snapping out of it and realizing that things can change.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ I’m a fan of minimal effort. One way Pitt makes helping the local hunger situation extremely easy is by allowing us to donate extra meal blocks in Eddie’s cafeteria and Schenley Cafe. While it’s nice to have 593 bottles of water, even giving up one block a week makes a dent and, just as important, makes you involved.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ If you’re feeling extra ambitious, you can move onto Phase II: long-term solutions. Find out reasons for our severe hunger problem. For example, the coffee industry has become destructive to many developing nations. Coffee farmers’ profits have decreased 70 percent in the last five years.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ College students are coffee experts, and we know there hasn’t been a decline in price or demand. Fair Trade Certified Coffee is coffee that offers farmers a fair price. Various retailers, including Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts offer Fair Trade Coffee, but often you have to specifically ask for it. You can also go to www.vote-smart.org to see how government officials respond to hunger and other issues.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ If nothing else, enjoy the food you have. As I write this hunger diatribe, a meal, in crumbs, lives under my laptop keys, and I’m sure I have some sort of sauce on my face. But I try to be grateful for each morsel. I hope that, as you’re reading this, your favorite food is dribbling all over this article, my lovely picture included. Just be grateful you have the luxury of doing so.

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E-mail Maria Wrzosek at mdw49@pitt.edu.