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"Hunger In America 2001"
Food Bank of Northern Nevada Summary of Findings
As part of the national study, the report specifically compiled for the Food Bank of Northern Nevada and its service area of 13 northern Nevada counties and the eastern slope of 8 California counties in the Sierra is also now available.
Numbers of Low-Income Residents Experiencing Hunger is Growing
Largest, Most Comprehensive Report Examines Who is Seeking and Who is Providing Emergency Food Relief
After many months of data collection and preparation, Hunger in America 2001, a national study conducted for America's Second Harvest (the nation's largest organization of emergency food providers) has been released. It is the largest study ever done about low-income hungry Americans and the charitable hunger-relief system that serves them. The national study is based on completed in-person interviews with more than 32,000 direct service clients as well as completed questionnaires from nearly 24,000 Second Harvest member agencies. The regional report is based on surveys of 250 direct service clients and 55 agencies served by the Food Bank of Northern Nevada.
Hunger in America 2001 found alarmingly high levels of hunger in America, even on the heels of one of the strongest economic climates in recent memory. This study provided an opportunity to speak with the people we serve about important, and sometimes uncomfortable issues, such as whether their children have enough to eat and whether or not they are forced to choose between buying food or paying for their rent. Working families are increasingly finding themselves among the ranks of the hungry. Women and single-parent families are disproportionately experiencing hunger, and far too many senior citizens must make choices each month between purchasing food, paying for rent and utilities or health care and prescriptions. Often these people hover near or below the poverty line.
For the past several months, we have seen repeated footage of hungry Afghan refugees on television news. These images of hungry people in faraway places touch and disturb us, but for many of us they also seem distant and far from our own reality. Maybe that's because hunger in America is largely invisible. There are no pictures of distended stomachs and hollow eyes among America's hungry. In the United States, we have practically eliminated starvation and malnutrition. There are, however, children whose only meal of the day is a school lunch, seniors who do not have enough to eat for several days at the end of the month until their Social Security check arrives, and families who stretch the income of several part-time jobs to pay for rent, utilities, transportation and medical bills with little to spare for wholesome food. Yet, hunger is real and, in fact growing.
Hunger in America 2001 has four primary objectives: provide a comprehensive profile of the nature of hunger in the U.S.; compare date between the 1997 study and the 2001 study to identify trends; provide extensive demographic profiles of emergency food clients at feeding agencies and the efficacy of those programs to meet the need; and provide comprehensive demographic information about hunger and the charitable response to hunger in local communities.
- 74% of clients at food pantries are women - a disproportionate number
- 24% are households with single parents
- 63% of single parent households have children under age 18
- 39% of two-parent households have children under 18
- 29% of households have a family member over age 65
- 26% of the clients are the elderly - people who compromise good health with weaker immune systems or more alarming symptoms of illness such as diabetes, heart disease or high blood pressure due to poor nutrition
Food Stamps
Hunger in our communities has remained at a high level even though food stamp and welfare rolls have decreased. As a result of obtaining low-income employment, many families formerly receiving welfare still cannot provide both shelter and food for family members. Most mistakenly believe they are no longer eligible for food stamps.
- 25% of clients are using the food stamp nutrition program, while more than 70% are income eligible for the food stamp nutrition program that would help provide more food for their families.
- In Nevada, only half those eligible for food stamps are using the program, often due to red tape, language problems or complex eligibility requirements. The State of Nevada application for assistance is 11 pages in length.
- Most people who use food stamps report benefit levels of 70 cents per meal are inadequate and often last only two weeks or less. Even if all who are eligible do apply and receive benefits, the need will continue to exceed the resources without reform.
Food Insecurity
Nearly three fourths of all those who sought food assistance in 2001 were "food insecure." These are people who meet a standard government definition of hungry or at risk of hunger. Food insecurity means regularly not having food or the money to buy enough food. Among all clients of the Food Bank of Northern Nevada, 73.5% are classified as food insecure and 65.6% are food insecure with hunger. Among families with children, 69.2% are food insecure and 59.6% experience hunger, with almost half of adults reporting that they missed meals due to lack of food. Most families with children provide the food to children with adults skipping meals when food is scarce.
Many clients must choose between food and necessities:
- 42% choose between paying for food and paying for utilities or heating fuel.
- 42% must choose between buying food and paying rent/mortgage
- Local and state officials can help by increasing access to child nutrition programs such as the Summer Food Service Program, the Child & Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and the School Breakfast and Lunch Programs. Municipalities and states can also help by supporting the work of food banks and food rescue programs in local communities.
Hunger is a solvable problem. As this report makes clear, however, food banks and food pantries cannot solve the problem alone. Beyond the public-private partnership through which corporations and individuals make contributions of food for distribution to needy individuals, public policies can help end hunger in our lifetimes.
- Federal nutrition programs - particularly the Food Stamp program and child nutrition programs - are an essential part of the food assistance safety net.
- Less than a third of people nationally and one fourth of people in Nevada who turn to charity are receiving food stamps, while more than three fourths are income eligible.
- Food stamp proposals recently passed in the U.S. Senate strengthen the Food Stamp program and increase funding for food stamps and commodity donations.
- Local and state officials can help by increasing access to child nutrition programs such as Summer Food and School Breakfast, and by supporting the work of food banks and food rescue programs in local communities.
AT THIS TIME
Forty six percent of pantries, a third of kitchens and 45% of shelters report increases since 1998 in the number of people they serve. Food banks are by far the single most important source of food for most food bank member agencies, accounting for 68% of the food used by pantries and two thirds of the food used by shelters. Locally, food pantries provided 1,306,360 pounds of food, particularly staple and high value nutritional items, to more than 24,000 different individuals in 2001; this accounts for 65% of the total amount of food distributed by the Food Bank of Northern Nevada."
The Food Bank is reporting low levels of food resources needed to assist hungry people through the year. "The emergency food pantries and shelters we supply with food need help all year long. The 2.3 million pounds of food we distribute annually may not be enough to meet the needs of the newly jobless along with people who experience food insecurity every winter when the utility bills and medical expenses increase," said Cherie Jamason, Food Bank CEO. While help at the holidays is great, long-term help will be needed for the 70,000 people in Nevada who have lost jobs or had hours cut back due to the slumping economy in the last year.
Click on the links below for more information on the results of America's Second Harvest National Study:
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