Feeding America is currently providing food to more than 37 million Americans including 14 million children, an increase of 46% since 2006, when the number being served was 25 million including 9 million children. Not especially the increase of children, which is an increase of more than 50%.
The information in the paragraph above is from Hunger in America 2010, the quadrennial report produced by Feeding America The first of these reports was in 2003, and the most recent version of that report came out this year, based on interviews and a study from 2009. The report contains data from the study that should shock us, should embarrass this nation. My contribution to this marathon is to offer a brief examination of some of that data, and a few comments/observations of my own.
You can of course peruse the report on your own. In fact, I encourage you to take the time to do so, since I can only briefly explore the data and its implications.
Since the last report we have of course gone through severe financial times in this country, beginning in 2007 with serious problems since 2008. Thus it is not surprising to see that the number of hungry has increased.
The figures with which I began should shock. Bear in mind that the figures understate the current crisis - they were gathered mainly during the 2007-2008 period, when unemployment was about half of what it is now.
The study is comprehensive, being based on interview in 2009 with
- more than 61,000 face-to-race client interviews
- more than 37,000 local charitable organizations
If you go back to the original figures, the 37 million represents almost one in 8 Americans.
36% of the households being served have at least one adult working
The food crisis crosses all sorts of demographic boundaries. On race,of those being served
40% are non-Hispanic White
36% are non-Hispanic Black
21% are Hispanic
9% are categorized as other
There is a strong correlation with lack of education, but more education does not guarantee one not being hungry. Of adults over 18 being served:
34% have not complete high school or the equivalent
39% have the highest level of education as high school
23% have completed some college
Many participating households have to make hard choices, between food and other basic necessities:
46% have to choose between utilites or heating fuel and food
39% have to choose between rent or mortgage and food
34% have to choose between medical bills and food
35% have to choose between transportation and food
Mobility is a real issue: 60% of households do NOT have a working car, this percentage being up from 46% in the last report.
Some additional characteristics of the 37 million that were being served at the time of the report:
70% of households have incomes below the federal poverty line
Average monthly income for client households is $940
10% of client households are homeless
76% of households are food insecure according to Federal standards, a 5% increase - of these, 4 in 5 have children under the age of 18
7% of client families had incomes over 185% of poverty in 2008. These qualify as middle class families, indicating insecurity is going up along with the increasing unemployment
9% of those served (3.2million) were under the age of 5
8% (2.9 million)were over 65
Consider only the last two statistics, of the young and the elderly. For the young who do not get sufficient nutrition their futures are being destroyed: brain growth, physical growth, susceptibility to disease. For the elderly the loss of dignity.
While many clients are receiving support for the government, many more are probably eligible, yet somehow do not receive it - and the funding for support of such programs has not been increasing as the need has skyrocketed.
Health is also a major issue, although hopefully the legislation passed earlier this year can ameliorate some of the health issues. 30% of households served reported at least one member in poor health, and remember also that 47% of adult clients have unpaid medical and hospital bills and 24% of adults have NEITHER public nor private health insurance. Nearly half of the client households reported having unpaid medical bills.
I have seen the effects of this up close when I have volunteered in Wise, Grundy, NoVa and Roanoke. It was especially true in Appalachia, where people also often lacked transportation to get to services that were free or subsidized.
Many people have come to depend on things like food pantries, soup kitchens, and homeless shelters. Feeding America deals with many of these. The numbers below are by category, with the numbers in the following parentheses being the percentage of each category that have no paid staff, doing all work with volunteers:
33,599 food pantries (68)
4,500 soup kitchens (42)
3,600 emergency shelters (15)
55% of the agencies above are faith based, associated with churches, synagogues and mosques. One wonders how desperate people might be without the willingness of many religious folk to give generously of their treasure and their time to help their fellow residents.
But these agencies are under stress. Perhaps you have heard the stories over the past few years. Let me provide some relevant statistics.
Over the past four years, since the last report
increase in service demands by category of agency:
food pantries 74%
soup kitchens 65%
shelters 54%
agencies reporting having to cut portion sizes to stretch budgets:
food pantries 25%
soup kitchens 12%
shelters 10%
agencies having had to turn away potential clients in past year:
food pantries 27%
soup kitchens 10%
shelters 43%
of those turning away clients, those reporting lack of adequate food service as a reason for the turning away:
food pantries 45%
soup kitchens 46%
We have seen an increase in economic stress. Economic stress inevitably leads to increased food stress, as those losing jobs and homes become less able or unable to feed themselves.
Children have perhaps been a wee bit better off. Of households with school-age children, 62% participate in school lunch program, and 54% in school breakfast. But consider what happens if school is closed because of bad weather - I know that in Russell County Virginia to cite one example schools were closed for almost a month because of heavy snow. What happens to those children when they do not have access to their normal nutrition?
Feeding America is the primary non-governmental conduit for food assistance. Each week more than 5.7 million people receive emergency food help from an agency served by a Feeding America member. This is an increase of more than a million per week, a 27% increase, since 2006.
I am embarrassed. No, I am ashamed for my country. That is in part why I choose to participate in this marathon.
If shame can make a difference, I'll take it.
If generosity and caring is the motivation, that's even better.
Whatever motivates us, we all need to do what we can.
This year, Feeding America conducted the largest ever survey of hunger in America: 2010 Hunger Report Key Findings. Download the Executive Summary and the entire report here.
49 million Americans: 1 in 6 American adults are hungry, and 1 in 4 American children are hungry.
Donate here, and ConAgra will match your donation dollar for dollar (up to a total collection of $250,000 in May.)
If you need to find a local food pantry, or if you want to volunteer your time you can find a nearby foodbank here.
Thanks so much for all you do.
All times Eastern!
Saturday, May 29:
Faces of Hunger (Introduction) by noweasels.
3 pm – Feeding America #2: Urban Farms & Fisheries by Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse
6 pm – Feeding America: Hunger in Vancouver by Chacounne
9 pm – This diary by teacherken
11 pm - Ellinorianne
Sunday, May 30:
10 am - rb137
1 pm – srkp23
4 pm – Timroff
7 pm - blue jersey mom
10 pm - boatsie
Thank you in advance for whatever your can do.
Peace.