The Face of Hunger
Food poverty in our region results from problems affording or accessing needed food. Low-income families often have to make choices between providing enough food for themselves or their families and paying the month's rent or utility bills. With food and gas prices steadily rising, difficulty affording food among families with already stretched budgets has reached crisis levels. The steadily rising cost of living is also being felt by middle-income families, who are increasingly experiencing difficulty affording food. Meanwhile, a number of financial pressures - including health issues, health insurance issues and low wages - continue to affect our neighbors with low to moderate incomes.
In addition to financial problems, low-income neighborhoods are characterized by a lack of affordable, nutritious food. Add to that equation chronically stretched budgets and the prevalence of low-cost, low-quality food and it is easy to understand the challenges of leading a truly healthy lifestyle - which lead to high concentrations of diet-related conditions such as diabetes, obesity and hypertension.
Foodlink's network of agencies provides food for an estimated 94,400 unduplicated people annually in our 10-county service area. Working poor families, parents of young children and elderly are among those who need food assistance to help make ends meet.
Hard Choices Lead to Hunger:
- 36% of clients had to choose between paying for food and paying their rent or mortgage
- 34% of the households who receive food from Foodlink agencies include at least one employed adult
- 38% of the people served are children under 18
- 5% of study respondents were 65 and older
- 24% of households served have at least one family member in poor health
- 22% of clients surveyed live in the suburbs - wasn't broken out
- 14% own the place where they live
- 5% of clients are homeless
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