Strom Traces the History of Hunger
Claire Strom, the Rapetti-Trunzo Chair of History at Rollins College, discussed the history of hunger on Academic Minute. The program, produced by NPR affiliate WAMC and hosted by Association of American Colleges & Universities President Lynn Pasquerella, airs on more than 70 NPR member stations across the country. Strom said a review of human history shows that hunger has been a persistent challenge across societies and eras. “The lack of adequate food is ubiquitous in human history,” she said, “no society has existed without hungry people.”
By Jo Marie Hebeler
October 13, 2026
In the segment, Strom traced the evolution of hunger relief from Elizabethan England to the modern food bank movement. She explained that during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, hunger relief became a governmental responsibility, although authorities showed “little sympathy for the able-bodied poor.” Those ideas carried into colonial America, where some communities paid families to care for paupers and, in some cases, “auctioned them off to the lowest bidder.”
According to Strom, attitudes toward poverty hardened during the 18th and 19th centuries as Enlightenment thinking and social Darwinism fueled the belief that poverty reflected individual shortcomings. As a result, many impoverished people were confined to workhouses. “The Enlightenment and social Darwinism of the 18th and 19th centuries heightened beliefs that poverty was a moral failing,” she said.
Strom noted that public perceptions shifted during the Great Depression, when widespread hardship reduced stigma toward those experiencing hunger and helped expand government assistance programs. She said that after World War II, governments became even more involved in social welfare as the concept of universal human rights gained prominence. In the United States, that trend culminated in Great Society reforms, including the Food Stamp Act of 1964.
The discussion also highlighted the origins of the modern food bank movement. Strom said businessman John Van Hengel established the first food bank in 1967 using surplus food from farms and packing sheds. Food banks subsequently expanded throughout North America and beyond, becoming increasingly important during the 1980s as government involvement in social welfare declined.
Despite those efforts, Strom said hunger remains a growing concern. Citing research from Feeding America, formerly Second Harvest, she noted that surveys conducted since 1993 indicate “the problem of hunger is worsening, not improving.” She said many food bank employees are conflicted, recognizing the need to feed hungry people while hoping that government and corporate leaders devote greater attention to addressing poverty itself.
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