As of August 1, 2012, over fifty percent of the United States have.
been officially declared disaster areas by the United States Department of.
Agriculture. The cause can be directly attributed to the drought that.
impacted US farms, and food processing facilities over the past summer.
With the situation reaching its peak in July, the overall cost of corn and.
livestock feed has risen over 61% in certain areas. Unfortunately for.
consumers, these costs trickle down and the worst seems yet to come. The.
impact will be long lasting, and the effects on our food industry will last.
well into next year. According to the USDA, "food price inflation is.
expected to be between 3 percent and 4 percent"(3) by the end of this year.
This subsequent inflation of agriculture and livestock costs, will.
ultimately end up on the dinner tables of Central Florida families, and.
their children.
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Although immediate environmental issues are beyond our control,.
something can be done to make the best of a bad situation. The Second.
Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida's primary goal is to see that local.
families in need can find relief when it comes to hunger and poverty. With.
this years drought, and the state of our nations economy, Second Harvest is.
certainly one of the most relevant philanthropies in our community, and.
across the nation. Second Harvest is a national network of local, and.
regional support centers throughout the United States and Canada. Their.
primary role is to supply the food needed by support agencies on the front.
lines of our war on economic hardship, and potential famine. Locally, they.
provide food for over five hundred non-profit groups, including: Day care.
centers, women's shelters, disaster relief agencies, and homeless support.
organizations, just to name a few.
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According to Charity Navigator, Second Harvest of Central Florida's.
total contributions exceeded $56,000,000 in the 2010-2011 fiscal year. This.
figure is an impressive increase of over 31.