Thanksgiving has come and gone with most families tired of turkey and dressing, filled to the brim with macaroni and cheese, and resigned to the fact that they must either freeze or throw away any leftovers that may still linger in their refrigerators.
As in years past, dozens of nonprofit organizations, athletic teams including the Washington Commanders, and local celebrities like Kevin Durant, generously provided bags of groceries or meals already cooked and ready to be savored for thousands of those in need throughout the DMV.
So, with predictions of snow this week for parts of Maryland and even a few sprinkles expected in the District, one could say it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
But with the ongoing dilemma of food insecurity, increased shortages of affordable housing, rising costs for essential goods, and in the wake of unprecedented layoffs and firings, many individuals and families are more worried about making it day to day than what’s on the docket for Christmas Day.
Based on data from the Pew Research Center, approximately 141,000 people in Washington, D.C. rely on food assistance through SNAP – nearly 21% of the city’s population. An additional 12,500 households receive benefits through the WIC program. And while these programs represent lifelines for thousands of people, what’s more troubling is the total number of children in D.C. who face life each day hungry— estimated at more than 18,000 youth.
Sure, a lot of children are dreaming about getting a bicycle, a computer, a cell phone or maybe new clothes for Christmas, while others are looking forward to family vacations with destinations that include either warmer climates or reunions at grandma’s house.
However, there are countless stories that may not make headline news, but which we should be aware of and willing to lend a hand to those who simply dream about having a warm, safe place to lay their head and the expectation that they will not go to bed hungry.
In Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” we are told about two spirits, personified as a little boy and girl, who we should fear the most and who are identified as products of society’s failures to care for all humanity: ignorance and want.
If, as America’s leaders like to boast, we represent the richest and most powerful nation on the planet, why are so many of our neighbors hungry, homeless, and hopeless?
We can do better, we need to do better, and we must do better— now!