Forest of the Plains

It's so discouraging to read about supplies being amassed at the Myanmar border, but the government is dragging its feet in letting relief workers enter the country. I went to MCC's website hoping that they would have something more positive to share about the situation. Basically, they'll accept monetary donations and will forward them on to a partner who is in Myanmar. I guess that's better than nothing...

The MCC site has a whole section on hunger. Here are some of their sobering statistics:

1. Of the 852 million people in the world who are chronically hungry, some 70 percent work in agriculture.
2. Most food in Canada and the US travels more than 2,200 kilometers (1,500 miles) from farm to table.
3. Every day, almost 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes--one child every five seconds.
4. In the United States, 11.7 million children live in households where people have to skip meals or eat less to make ends meet.
5. Undernourishment negatively affects people’s health, productivity, sense of hope and overall well-being. A lack of food can stunt growth, slow thinking, sap energy, hinder fetal development and contribute to mental retardation.

The more I think about the ethical ramifications of our food choices, the more I find them to be overwhelming! People around the world are rioting because of their hunger. Today my biggest food issue was deciding whether to buy chocolate or lemon berry ice cream.