Hunger Basics: Domestic Hunger & Poverty Facts

Hunger persists in the U.S.

• 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%). This is an increase of 1.4 million, from 34.9, million in 2002.¹
• 3.5% 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.1
• 7.7% 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.¹
• 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.²

People facing hunger are increasingly turning to the Food Stamp Program for assistance in feeding their families.

• Following years of decline, participation in the food stamp program has been on the rise over the past two years. In August 2004, over 24.6 million people participated in the food stamp program.⁶
• While it is not possible to determine what caused the increase in participation from the data available, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities argues it is likely that the majority of the increase can be attributed to the economic downturn. Due to loss of employment and income, more families probably became eligible for the food stamp program.³

Churches and charities are straining to serve rising requests for food — especially from working people — from their pantries and soup kitchens.

• The U.S. Conference of Mayors reports that in 2003, requests for emergency food assistance increased an average of 17%. The study also found that 59% of those requesting emergency food assistance were members of families with children and that 39% of adults requesting such assistance were employed. High housing costs, low-paying jobs, unemployment, and the economic downturn led the list of reasons contributing to the rise.⁴
• Over half the cities surveyed in the Mayors' report (56%) said they are not able to provide an adequate quantity of food to those in need. And nearly half of the cities reported they had to decrease the quantity of food provided and/or the number of times people can come to get food assistance. An average of 14% of the demand for emergency food assistance is estimated to have gone unmet in the survey cities.⁴
• America's Second Harvest, the nation's largest network of food banks, reports that 23.3 million people turned to the agencies they serve in 2001, an increase of over 2 million since 1997. 40% were from working families.⁵

Cites and links to source material:

^1. "Household Food Security in the United States, 2003." ERS Research Briefs (pdf document)
www.ers.usda.gov/publications/fanrr42/fanrr42_researchbrief.pdf

^2. Pediatrics, Vol. 110 No. 4, October 2002
www.pediatrics.org/cgi/content/abstract/110/4/e41

^3. Food Stamp Caseloads Are Rising, Joseph Llobrera, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, November 19, 2002.
www.cbpp.org/1-15-02fa.htm

^4. Sodexho Hunger and Homelessness Survey 2003, U.S. Conference of Mayors, December 2003.
www.usmayors.org/uscm/news/press_releases/documents/hunger_121803.asp

^5. Hunger in America 2001, America's Second Harvest
www.secondharvest.org

^6. "Food Stamp Program Monthly Data." Food and Nutrition Service Department of Agriculture. 29 November 2004.
www.fns.usda.gov/pd/fsmonthly.htm

How You Can Help

When you join with others who are working to change policies — to meet basic human needs and address the underlying causes of hunger — together we can have remarkable success. Join us in our movement to seek justice and end hunger.

Bread for the World is a lively grassroots presence in hundreds of communities because people like you step forward as volunteer leaders.

You might want to join or form a Bread for the World group in your church or community. Bread for the World members who meet together learn and draw strength from one another. They become more active. Many grow in faith and discipleship by meeting and praying with others who understand the connections between Jesus and justice.

Some Bread for the World groups meet monthly for worship, study, and action. Others meet just a few times a year to take specific actions‹to see their member of Congress, for example, or to plan a workshop for local congregations on BFW's main campaign for the year. If there isn't a Bread for the World group near you, a Leader's Guide and Bread for the World staff will give you all the backup you need to start one.

Another possibility is to initiate or take part in a "quickline" — a telephone tree of people who call their members of Congress on urgent issues. Your Regional Organizer can connect you with other advocacy resources, too.

Or are you willing to help get information about hunger issues into your local newspaper and onto television and radio? By just writing a letter to the editor of your local paper, you could influence the decisions of your members of Congress. Bread for the World's media staff will help you shape public opinion and influence Congress in this powerful way.

Bread for the World's local leaders and groups often work closely with other networks of concerned organizations — denominational and ecumenical groups, food banks and assistance agencies, and other advocacy networks. We especially encourage local groups to seek allies and members from different racial and ethnic groups.

If you are willing to consider an activist role in Bread for the World, contact us at 800-82-BREAD or at 50 F Street, NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20001/USA.

For more information and ideas, visit Bread for the World's website at www.bread.org.

A table grace seen on the walls of an orphanage in Leon, Nicaragua: Gracias Señor por el pan da pan al que tiene hambre y hambre de justicia al los que tienen pan. Gracias Señor por el pan Thank you, Lord, for bread. Give bread to those who are hungry And hunger for justice to those who have bread. Thank you, Lord, for bread. Thanks to Blanca Longhurst for translation.