Hunger in the US

A lot of news recently about hunger.  Not much about the raging famine in Africa or the endemic hunger that much of the world experiences (I have a theory as to why, but that's another post...).
No, the recent articles have been about the growing food insecurity and the daily hunger that so many American's experience.  It is actually rather startling how many people experience 'food insecurity' in the US.
In 2009, 14.7 percent of households (17.4 million households) were food insecure.
In 2009, 5.7 percent of households (6.8 million households) experienced very low food security.
That's according to Feeding America. 
Here are just a few good stories that I've come across recently that illustrate the difficulty that many of our neighbors are facing.
I really like this profile from CNN.
You may have heard about people taking the Food Stamp Challenge and living on a dollar amount equivalent to what they'd get in food stamps.  Here is one person's experience.  More in depth version on his blog...
This post is just for education.  I heard a story the other day from a woman who regularly gave her neighbors fresh food because they didn't have the money to buy it at the store.  Of course what was offered at their nearby grocery store was brown and bruised and not anything resembling the type of fresh vegetables and fruits my friend purchased (for less) at a market on the other side of town. 
I want to be more like my friend.  I want all of us to be more like my friend.