PROGRAM SUCCESS – MARCH 2010
PAGE 37
LANDMARK NEW STUDY REVEALS AN
UNPRECEDENTED INCREASE IN NUMBER OF
AFRICAN AMERICANS SEEKING EMERGENCY FOOD ASSISTANCE
Largest, Most Comprehensive Report Ever Conducted on Emergency Food Distribution Reports
African Americans are disproportionately impacted by hunger as compared to the US population .
Chicago, IL - A landmark study released today by Feeding
America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization,
reports that there has been an increase of more than one million
additional African Americans in need of emergency food
assistance each year since 2006. With more than one in three
African American adults seeking emergency food assistance from
Feeding America, African Americans make up 34 percent of all
adults served by Feeding America.
An increasing number of African American households with
children do not know when or where they will find their next meal.
According to USDA’s “Household Food Insecurity In the United
States, 2008” released in November 2009, 3.7 million Black
children were living with food insecurity, up from 2.78 million, an
increase of 35 percent.
soup kitchen, or other agency served by one of Feeding Americas
more than 200 food banks. This is a 27 percent increase over
numbers reported in Hunger in America 2006 (note: link to 06/10
comparison fact sheet), which reported that 4.5 million people
were served each week.
The methodology incorporated into the 2010 study includes data
collected from February through June, 2009. Feeding America
collected quantitative and qualitative feedback from 61,000 face-
to-face in-depth interviews with people seeking emergency food
assistance and more than 37,000 agency surveys, making this the
largest, most comprehensive study ever conducted on domestic
hunger. The results are based on surveys conducted at food
pantries, soup kitchens, and other emergency feeding programs
only.
“While we have reached many more people over the past four
years, the need of hungry Americans far outpaces our current level
of service,” stated Escarra. “We will continue to partner with
federal and state governments, corporate and individual donors and
other hunger-relief organizations to bring more food and funds into
the charitable distribution system and connect people with federal
benefits until every man, woman and child has access to adequate
food and nutrition.”
Among other key comparative findings in the report:
* 50 percent increase in the number of children served annually.
* 26 percent increase in the number of African Americans served annually.
* 64 percent increase in the number of households with seniors facing very
low food securityor hunger.
* 59 percent increase in the number of client households reporting they
have to choose between paying their rent or mortgage and food.
“I have personally experienced hunger and homelessness,” says
filmmaker and Feeding America entertainment council member
Tyler Perry, “It’s almost impossible to imagine that this situation
could exist in ours, the most wealthy and generous of nations.
Please look out for your neighbors who you think might need help.
No one should go to bed hungry in America.”
Many of the people served by Feeding America food banks report
they are struggling with unemployment, difficult choices between
food and other basic necessities and the pressures of skyrocketing
healthcare costs. Almost half of clients served report having to
choose between paying for utilities or heating fuel and food; 39
percent said they had to choose between paying for rent or a
mortgage and food; 34 percent report having to choose between
paying for medical bills and food; and 35 percent must choose
between transportation and food. Hunger in America 2010 is the
first research study to capture the significant connection between
the recent economic downturn and an increased need for
emergency food assistance. An estimated 5.7 million people
receive emergency food assistance each week from a food pantry,
A summary of the findings and the full report are available on
Feeding America’s web site at
www.feedingamerica.org/hungerstudy
Media Resources
Feeding America network client stories
- http://feedingamerica.org/faces-of-hunger/real-stories.aspx
Tweet about Hunger in America 2010 using #HungerStudy
About Feeding America
Feeding America provides low-income individuals and families
with the fuel to survive and even thrive. As the nation’s leading
domestic hunger-relief charity, our network members supply food
to more than 37 million Americans each year, including 14million
children and 3 million seniors. Serving the entire United States,
more than 200 member food banks support 63,000 agencies that
address hunger in all of its forms. For more information on how
you can fight hunger in your community and across the country,
visit www.feedingamerica.org. Find us on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/FeedingAmerica or follow our news on
Twitter at www.twitter.com/FeedingAmerica.
For further information or to arrange interviews, please contact:
Laura Cilmi,The Walker Marchant Group, 202-466-6040 , Paula