Hungry for publicity?

ITEM: The Sacramento Bee for December 24, 2003 reported, "In its annual survey of hunger and homelessness in the country, the U.S. Conference of Mayors [USCOM] reports a worrisome uptick on both fronts. Requests for emergency food assistance increased by an average of 17 percent in the 25 cities surveyed for the report."

BETWEEN THE LINES: Since 1987, the USCOM reports have been short on methodology but long on sensation. They have actually indicated that emergency food use has increased by an average of 17 percent each year! As the Heritage Foundation notes, the number receiving emergency food aid appears to double every four years, Is it plausible that there were 12 times as many receiving food aid in 2001 as in 1986?

However, USCOM reports do not include actual numbers; they reflect a self-reporting survey of operators. More detailed studies do not show anything close to USCOM's findings, which are released at Christmastime for maximum impact.

As government statistics compiled by the Heritage Foundation demonstrate, while USCOM was claiming an increase in food-bank use of 150 percent between 1995 and 2001, data gathered by the U.S. census in central cities and nationwide showed no rise. Second Harvest, the largest distributor to food banks, reported that emergency food use increased by 9 percent between 1997 and 2001; however, during that period USCOM was saying it jumped almost 100 percent.