The UN Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) says hunger is on the rise again after falling steadily during the first half of the 1990s. According to the organization's report, "The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2003," the number of hungry people in developing countries increased by 18 million in the second half of the decade, after falling by 37 million during the first half of the 1990s. With this setback, the World Food Summit goal of reducing the number of undernourished people by half by 2015 cannot be reached.

According to the report, preliminary analysis suggests that countries with significantly higher economic and agricultural growth had the most success in reducing hunger. Other factors that contributed to success include lower population growth and higher levels of economic and social development. Those countries with a high prevalence of chronically hungry people are also afflicted by frequent food emergencies and high rates of HIV/AIDS. The intersection of these short-term crises with long-term problems is devastating.

The report notes that the southern African food crisis of 2002-2003 showed that "hunger cannot be combated effectively in regions ravaged by AIDS, unless interventions address the particular needs of AIDS-affected households and incorporate measures both to prevent and to mitigate the spread of HIV/AIDS."

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"Ultimately, success in reducing hunger will depend on mustering the political will to engage in policy reforms and invest resources where they can do the most good for the poor and hungry," said Hartwig de Haen, FAO Assistant Director-General, Economic and Social Department. "That's why FAO has endorsed proposals to build an International Alliance against Hunger. An alliance that would start at sub-national and national levels bringing together governments, civil society organizations, the private sector and concerned individuals to mobilize the political will, technical expertise and financial resources needed to reduce the number of hungry people by at least half by 2015."

Hunger is a very real problem in America. In the richest country in the world, 33 million people go hungry every night. But hunger in the United States is different than hunger in Africa or India, and the face of hunger in America is a sharp contrast to the image of a starving child with a distended belly so often associated with extreme hunger.

A common misconception -- even heard on WFAN in New York during a Hungerthon broadcast this morning-- is that there aren't "real" hungry people in America and if there are, then how come all the people in the welfare offices are so fat. The answer is: the poor often sacrifice nutrition for budget reasons, resorting to fast food solutions for feeding their families. They are malnourished.

Among food-insecure households with children: 81% relied on only a few kinds of low-cost food to feed their children because they were running out of money to buy food; 19% reported that this occurred often; 52% could not afford to feed their children balanced meals; and 25% reported that their kids were not eating enough because the family could not afford enough food. (Source: M Nord, Food Insecurity in Households With Children, USDA, 2003).

According to the Center on Hunger and Poverty studies show that food insecurity is associated with overweight in low-income women. Food insecurity is not limited to those for whom energy supplies are always inadequate, which helps explain why those who are food insecure can also be overweight. While families may get enough food to avoid feeling hungry, they also may be poorly nourished because they cannot afford a consistently adequate diet that promotes health and averts obesity, the center reports.

Learn more about hunger here

Aerosmith fans at the band's concert in New Hampshire yesterday heard Steven Tyler when he asked them "to do what we always do when we are on the road in the holiday season, help us feed those people in need". Fans donated 3,250 pounds of canned food to the New Hampshire Food Bank.

Since 1984, the New Hampshire Food Bank has provided food to qualified nonprofit programs serving the hungry and the needy throughout New Hampshire. A program of New Hampshire Catholic Charities and a certified affiliate of America's Second Harvest, the New Hampshire Food Bank is the only food bank in the state. On average, the food bank distributes more than 200,000 pounds of food per month?to programs in every corner of New Hampshire.

With WHY's help, Aerosmith will aid community-based hunger organizations during its tour with with Kiss, which runs through December. WHY's program Artists Against Hunger & Poverty has raised more than $6.5 million in concert-related donations for more than 500 grassroots, hunger and poverty organizations in the US.

WHY is grateful for its dedicated volunteers. Without them, Hungerthon simply wouldn't work. With their aid, supporters throughout the New York tri-state area are able to donate and bid on items like the Johnny Cash-autographed and John Mayer-signed guitars up for auction today.

Many volunteers give their time year after year, inspiring the board and staff. "I love coming to Hungerthon because the volunteers make it so much fun and create such a positive vibe," said Jen Chapin, chair of WHY's Board of Directors.

Hungerthon volunteers answer phones, do data entry, and package items for mailing. It's hard work, but volunteers say they feel as though they are contributing to the fight against hunger and poverty.

"It's hard to call 'volunteering' for Hungerthon 'volunteering.' When it comes down to it, where else should you be during Thanksgiving when you know there are hungry people out there?" said volunteer Eric Harris. "It's not that it's just the right thing to do; you do it because it's just what you do. It's many different people coming together to make a difference that helps many people."

In other Hungerthon News, supporter Catherine Bello won Monday's grand prize drawing offered on WCBS 101.1-FM. Catherine will receive a $10,000 kitchen makeover from Kitchen Expo. Congratulations to Catherine!

Listeners in the New York area can tune in to Hungerthon today on WFAN 660AM, WNEW 102.7FM, CD 101.9FM and KISS 98.7FM.

WHY's annual Hungerthon is in full swing today with Cousin Brucie encouraging listeners to donate and to bid on auction items, like this hour's Billy Joel-autographed Kurzweil 88- weighted keyboard, which went for $3,600.

Volunteers are waiting for your bid at 1-800-5-Hungry! As always, you can make a regular donation on this website by clicking the "donate" button. Your past donations have helped WHY to do the following:

With the recession still in full swing, the hunger and poverty situation has gone from bad to worse, according to Joel Berg, executive director of New York City Coalition Against Hunger (www.nyccah.org). Berg was part of this year's WHY-Infinity Trimulcast that was broadcast on K-Rock 92.3, WNEW 102.7 and WFAN Sunday.

Berg talked with host Bob Salter and WHY International program coordinator Peter Mann about the state of New York City's pantries and soup kitchens. His organization has released a study on hunger -- called No Recovery for the Hungry and at least half of the pantries surveyed are having to ration food or turn people away. "The government turned its back on the problem and said to small agencies, 'Here, you handle it,'" Berg said. "They (the organizations) just don't have the resources to do it."

Julia Erickson, executive director of City Harvest (www.cityharvest.org), was also featured on the show, during the segment about feeding the hungry. Erickson observed that 10 years ago, the bulk of people at soup kitchens and food pantries were single adults and now, there are more children and seniors needing food assistance. "We're seeing a huge increase in the number of working families," she said.

Erickson was followed by Mary Brosnahan, executive director of the Coalition for the Homeless (www.coalitionforthehomeless.org), whose organization serves 3,500 homeless people a day. "We know what works to end homelessness," Brosnahan said, adding that the city does not have the political will to implement those solutions. Brosnahan also echoed Erickson's observations about children in need of aid, noting that the bulk of the homeless population in New York City are children and families with children.

Next, Ruth Katz, executive director of Just Food (www.justfood.org), talked with Salter and Mann about community-supported agriculture (CSAs) and city farms as a solution to the dearth of fresh, nutritious foods in certain areas. "A lot of New York City communities actually don't have access to good food," Katz said. Just Food will host a conference on January 24, 2004, to address the issue and educate the public about food justice.

The Trimulcast is part of WHY's annual Hungerthon event. You can learn more about Hungerthon here. You can make a difference in the fight against hunger and poverty.