One of the most disturbing and extraordinary aspects of life in this very wealthy country is the persistence of hunger.
What do hunger and food insecurity mean in the United States? ..... Very simply, hunger is defined as the uneasy or painful sensation caused by lack of food. When we talk about hunger in America, we refer to the ability of people to obtain sufficient food for their household. Some people may find themselves skipping meals or cutting back on the quality or quantity of food they purchase at the stores. Hunger Facts in the US (Pdf)
This page is devoted to research and articles that explain why a food bank is needed.
TOUGH CHOICES
- 42% of clients served by the A2H National Network report having to choose between paying for food and paying for utilities or heating fuel.
- 35% had to choose between paying for food and paying their rent or mortgage.
- 32% had to choose between paying for food and paying for medicine or medical care.
- 29% of households served by the A2H National Network report having at least one household member in poor health.
CAUSES OF HUNGER
The causes of hunger most frequently identified were high housing costs, low paying jobs, unemployment and other employment-related problems, economic downturn or weakening of the economy, medical or health costs, homelessness, poverty or lack of income, substance abuse, reduced public benefits, child care costs, mental health problems, and limited life skills.
Hunger & Poverty in the US
Approximately one in ten U.S. households, more than 36 million people, live in poverty - a figure that increased 1.3 million in just one year! 38 million people do not have access to enough food to meet their basic needs. 14 million are children (17.6% of all children).
(Center on Hunger & Poverty-2005; Income, Poverty & Health Insurance Coverage in the U.S. 2004, US Census Bureau)Ten million people live in households that go hungry; 33% of these are children. 12% of all US households are food insecure - a figure that rose 11.2% in just one year. (USDA's Economic Research Service, Household Food Security in the United States, 2005)
25 million children, low-income, elderly, homeless, disabled and unemployed adults are helped by America's Second Harvest, The Nation's Food Bank Network. (America's Second Harvest Report 'Hunger in America 2005' by Mathematica Policy Research Inc.)
Food insecurity and hunger are concentrated in low-income households. In 2004, households with incomes below 130% of the poverty line had a food insecurity prevalence of three times the national level. Nearly 66% of households reporting hunger had incomes under 185% of the poverty line.
(Center on Hunger and Poverty 2005)Average unemployment rates in 2005 were 5.1% - up from 4.8% in 2001.
(U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)The federal minimum wage has not seen an increase since 1997 and its value has dropped by 20% since then. In inflation-adjusted dollars, it is at its lowest value in 50 years. (Economic Policy Institute)
Of the adults living in poverty, 38% worked during the last year.
(Poverty in the United States: 2005 estimates, US Census Bureau)
According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, two trends are largely responsible for the rise in homelessness over the past 20-25 years: a growing shortage of affordable rental housing and a simultaneous increase in poverty. Homelessness and poverty are inextricably linked. Both the poverty rate and the number of poor people have increased in recent years. 36% of persons living in poverty are children. (People Need Affordable Housing, National Coalition for the Homeless, 2006). In 1997, 3 million low to moderate income working families spent more than 50% of their income on housing. By 2001 this number had jumped to 4.8 million, an increase of 67%. (People Need Affordable Housing, National Coalition for the Homeless, 2003)
Approximately 22% of homeless people suffer from chronic mental illness; 11% are veterans; 20% have regular employment. The vast majority of homeless persons with a mental illness could achieve stability if the appropriate services were available. A study of 27 U.S. cities found that in 2001, 37% of all requests for emergency shelter went unmet due to lack of resources - a 13% increase from the previous year. For families, the numbers are even worse: 52% of emergency shelter requests from families were denied, a 22% increase from last year. (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 2005)
On any given day, at least 800,000 people are homeless in the United States, including about 200,000 children in homeless families. During a year’s time, four or five times as many people experience homelessness as are homeless on any particular day. As a result, during a typical year, between 900,000 and 1.4 million children are homeless with their families. (Urban Institute 2000)
Homeless children have high rates of acute illness and go hungry at more than twice the rate of other children. 50% of homeless children do not attend school. Homeless children have four times the rate of developmental delays, twice the number of learning disabilities, and have three times as many emotional and behavioral problems. (National Coalition for the Homeless)
In rural areas, research indicates that families, single mothers and children make up the largest group of people who are homeless. A national study conducted by the Ford Foundation found that nearly 50% of homeless women were fleeing domestic abuse.
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