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United States Hunger Issue
World Hunger Issues, the facts
November 21, 2005
"Despite living in the world's most bountiful food-producing country, the number of seniors who suffer from hunger in the U.S. is growing rapidly, according to the U.S. National Council on the Aging
(NCOA).
"According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), more than three quarters of a million Americans over 65 and living alone have difficulty providing themselves with a steady supply of food and experience some degree of hunger.
"'Hunger can be life-threatening,' said NCOA President and CEO James Firman. 'Seniors who experience hunger are at risk for serious health problems. Hunger increases the risk for stroke, exacerbates pre-existing ill health conditions, limits the efficiency of many prescription drugs, and may affect brain chemistry increasing the incidence of depression and isolation."
"Older Americans have built the economy and national infrastructure from which we now benefit. Raised during the Great Depression, they went on to defend our freedom in the Second World War and won the cold war. America's older citizens have rightly been called the 'greatest generation.' It is morally unacceptable that the people that built this country-our senior citizens-should suffer hunger in a land of plenty, which they helped to create.
"In November of 2001 America's Second Harvest released its third and most comprehensive study of hunger in the United States: Hunger in America 2001. The following are some key findings of the study regarding the elderly in our country:
. Hunger in America 2001 found that almost 11 percent of the people we serve are seniors.
. Seniors who experience hunger are at risk for serious health problems. Hunger increases their risk for stroke, exacerbates pre-existing ill health conditions, limits the efficacy of many prescription drugs, and may affect brain chemistry increasing the incidence of depression and isolation.
. Members of client households include more than 2.5 million people age 65 and older, of which more than 2.3 million receive their food from pantries.
. Among all members of client households, 11.1 percent of pantry recipients are ages 65 and older.
. 53.9 percent of all client households with seniors are food insecure, an estimated 1.1 million households.
. Among all client households with at least one person age 65 or older, 24.5 percent utilize senior brown bag programs.
. Hunger 1997: The Faces & Facts revealed that 26 percent of all emergency food client households served by America's Second Harvest receive Social Security. 25 percent of households with elderly persons participate in Senior Meals programs and 8.7 percent participate in home delivered meals programs like Meals on Wheels.
"Hunger is not only felt daily by millions of people, but today 24,000 people around the globe will die because of it; 18,000 of them will be children. Approximately 852 million people are hungry in the world; 36 million live right here in the United States, and approximately 13 million are children.
"Closer to home in Alabama, more than 26 percent of children living in rural areas of the state are living in poverty, which is evidenced by the 34.7 percent of children who receive free or reduced-priced school lunches. The highest rates of hunger are experienced in the Black Belt region of Alabama."
On May 1, 2005, 35,000 people turned out on a rainy day in Boston to participate in Project Bread's 37th Annual Walk for Hunger. The walk benefits those in Massachusetts who need help in securing adequate food, a number that has increased by 38 percent. Counting walkers, volunteers, and supporters, 237,000 were involved in the fund-raising effort which brought in an estimated $3 million. Some support came from as far away as Taiwan, Puerto Rico, Alaska, and Quebec through online giving. The walkers included 900 school groups, religious groups, and corporate teams along with thousands of families.
"Hunger Is on the Increase-Walk for Hunger Strong Despite Rain; Thousands of Hungry Massachusetts Residents Will Benefit," PR Newswire US, May 2, 2005
. 36.3 million people-including 13 million children-live in households that experience hunger or the risk of hunger. This represents more than one in ten households in the United States (11.2 percent). This is an increase of 1.4 million, from 34.9, million in 2002.
. 3.5 percent of U.S. households experience hunger. Some people in these households frequently skip meals or eat too little, sometimes going without food for a whole day. 9.6 million people, including 3 million children, live in these homes.
. 7.7 percent of U.S. households are at risk of hunger. Members of these households have lower quality diets or must resort to seeking emergency food because they cannot always afford the food they need. 26.6 million people, including 10.3 million children, live in these homes.
. Research shows that preschool and school-aged children who experience severe hunger have higher levels of chronic illness, anxiety and depression, and behavior problems than children with no hunger.
Who Is Going Hungry in the U.S.?
"Although most people think of hungry people and homeless people as the same, the problem of hunger reaches far beyond homelessness. While the thought of 36.3 million people being hungry or at the risk of hunger may be surprising, it is the faces of those 36.3 million individuals that would probably most shock you.
"The face of hunger is the older couple who has worked hard for their entire lives only to find their savings wiped out by unavoidable medical bills; or a single mother who has to choose whether the salary from her minimum wage job will go to buy food or pay rent; or a child who struggles to concentrate on his schoolwork because his family couldn't afford dinner the night before."
"Anyone who's been in a big city has seen them. Some people avert their eyes and hurry by; others drop coins, or even bills, in their hands. But lone panhandlers aren't the only faces of poverty in the United States. Many families with children also find themselves in soup kitchens and shelters.
"That's one reason, perhaps, why nearly two-thirds of Americans are concerned about hunger and homelessness in the nation, according to a March 2005 Gallup Poll. 'I was recently without a job for 18 months,' says a 54-year-old respondent from Arizona in a follow-up interview, 'and it made me realize that most of us take our good fortune for granted. But bad luck can happen to anyone.' More than a third of respondents (37 percent) say they worry 'a great deal' and another 27 percent worry 'a fair amount' about hunger and homelessness. Thirty-five percent of Americans worry only a little or not at all.
"The poverty rate and number of families in poverty increased from 9.6 percent and 7.2 million in 2002 to 10 percent and 7.6 million in 2003, according to 2003 U.S. Census Bureau data. For all children under 18, the poverty rate increased from 16.7 percent in 2002 to 17.6 percent in 2003. The number in poverty rose, from 12.1 million to 12.9 million."
. In 2003, over 13 million American children resided in food insecure households, meaning they were hungry or at risk of hunger.
. Recent research indicates that even mild under nutrition experienced by young children during critical periods of growth may lead to reductions in physical growth and affect brain development.
. In 2002, requests for emergency food assistance from families with children increased by an average of 18 percent in American cities over the past year.
. Over 13 million, or approximately 17.6 percent of children in the U.S. live in poverty.
. In fiscal year 2003, the Food Stamp Program served approximately 4.9 million households with children each month. During this same period, slightly more than half of all food stamp recipients were children (under the age of 18 years) while two-thirds of these children were school age (ages 5 to 17).
. During the 2003 fiscal year, 16.4 million low-income children received free or reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch Program. Unfortunately, just over two million of these same income-eligible children participated in the Summer Food Service Program that same year.
. New York City's soup kitchens and food pantries fed 45 percent more people in 2002 than in 2000. In the one year following September 11, 73 percent of the agencies fed more children-with 39 percent saying the number of children they fed increased "greatly."
. In Chicago, the Greater Chicago Food Depository, which serves 600 agencies, distributed 36 million pounds of food. It is estimated that the food bank will distribute 42 million pounds this year, which translates to about 91,000 families a week.
. The Greater Boston Food Bank is experiencing unprecedented demand: while the food bank normally distributes up to 350,000 pounds of food a week, since October the number has risen to 500,000 to 600,000 pounds of food a week.
. In Los Angeles, the L.A. Regional Food Bank is bracing for a busy holiday season. Says Executive Director Michael Flood, "I don't want to sound dire, but looking through this holiday season the only trend we can see is increased need."
The U.S. Conference of Mayors conducted a survey in 2004 on hunger and homelessness in 27 major cities. Following are the results:
. Officials in the survey cities estimate that during the past year requests for emergency food assistance increased by an average of 14 percent, with 96 percent of the cities registering an increase. Requests for food assistance by families with children increased by an average of 13 percent. Requests for emergency food assistance by elderly persons increased by an average of 12 percent during the last year, with 72 percent of the cities reporting an increase.
. On average, 20 percent of the requests for emergency food assistance are estimated to have gone unmet during the last year. For families alone, 17 percent of the requests for assistance are estimated to have gone unmet. In 48 percent of the cities, emergency food assistance facilities may have to turn away people in need due to lack of resources.
. Fifty-six percent of the people requesting emergency food assistance were members of families-children and their parents. Thirty-four percent of the adults requesting food assistance were employed.
. The overall level of resources available to emergency food assistance facilities increased by 18 percent during the last year in the cities registering an increase. Forty-four percent of the survey cities reported that emergency food assistance facilities are able to provide an adequate quantity of food. Sixty-seven percent of the cities' emergency food assistance facilities have had to decrease the number of bags of food provided and/or the number of times people can receive food. Of these cities, 63 percent have had to increase the limit of food provided. Eighty-one percent of the survey cities reported that the food provided is nutritionally balanced.
. In 100 percent of the cities, families and individuals relied on emergency food assistance facilities both in emergencies and as a steady source of food over long periods of time.
. Unemployment and other employment-related problems lead the list of causes of hunger identified by the city officials. Other causes cited, in order of frequency, include low-paying jobs, high housing costs, poverty or lack of income, medical or health costs, substance abuse, high utility costs, mental health problems, homelessness, reduced public benefits and high childcare costs.
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