Amid the nation's unprecedented prosperity, an estimated 31 million Americans live in households that suffer from hunger. The problem earns modest public attention during the holidays, when coins drop freely into charity kettles, said J. Larry Brown, head of the Center on Hunger and Poverty at Brandeis University here. But he said hunger looms year-round as a hidden crisis that vexes experts. Brown has launched a coalition of academics and celebrities intent on halting hunger in this country in the next five years. In terms of the lives of the poor and the hungry, there's no evidence that the holiday season is a unique time.
Poor people have an odd habit of getting hungry the next day.
Data released last week by the U.S. Conference of Mayors show that most people seeking food assistance are employed. The numbers became achingly real this year as food banks sought to provide Thanksgiving turkeys for needy clients. Carrington, at the Connecticut Food Bank, said she calculated that the increased number of turkeys this year meant her facility was feeding 24,000 more people than the year before. And, she said, in a local economy where many people have low-paying jobs in the service industry, food often becomes a family's luxury item. These are people who are hard-working.