According to the Maryland Food Bank, more than half a million state residents live at or below the federal poverty level

A United Nations report issued last month said global food prices will ease from recent record highs because of good grain harvests.  But it predicted prices are unlikely to go back to pre-2007 levels, which is grim news for those who cannot afford to eat and others who seek to feed the hungry.

While the world food crisis is most acute in the world's least developed nations, the elevated costs of staple foodstuffs and fuel are also hitting America's poor.

The evidence can be seen on the shelves of a large warehouse, used to feed those who need assistance in the eastern U.S. state of Maryland.  That is where VOA's Malcolm Brown reports.