Text adapted from an article in THE DAY:
Around 13 million Britons live below the
poverty line, and the situation is getting worse.
A damning new government report shows that
rising food prices and stagnating wages have led to a huge surge in the use of
food banks.
Over 350,000 people relied on the 420-plus food
banks in Britain in 2012-13; this is almost triple the number for 2011-12.
Food banks receive public and corporate food donations,
which is then distributed to those in need. They have become a lifeline for those
who, with electricity bills and rent to pay, are at risk of going hungry.
The report's authors say their “anger knows no
bounds” towards Britain’s supermarkets, which throw away thousands of tonnes of
unsold edible food every day.
A charity called FareShare provides one million meals a month from saved food, but
this is just two percent of all the food that is wasted.
The government says it will take action to help
Britain’s beleaguered food banks and to address the supermarkets’ throwaway
culture.
Should we feel that concerned though for the
poor in wealthy countries? After all, while the deprivation on our doorsteps
might tug at our heartstrings, our real focus should surely be on the 842 million people around the world who live in extreme hunger and face a genuine
struggle to survive…
Some argue, however, that the world’s hunger
problems are overwhelming, unsolvable, or not our concern. After all, charity should start at home; we can at least help ease the suffering of those around
us, who may well be people we know and, at some point, even ourselves…
Questions/to do:
- What, according to the article, are the causes of hunger in the UK?
- What is the population of the UK?
- How wealthy is the UK?
- Is the percentage of poor people in the UK higher than in France?
- Are there food banks in France?
- Would you be a volunteer for a charity like FareShare?
- List some of the charities that try to solve the problem of hunger in the world.
- Prepare a 60-second talk arguing that “charity starts at home”.
