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National Prevalence
- Nearly one in eight US households do
not have access to enough food to meet their basic needs.
Over
38
million people live in these food-insecure households,
including 13.9 million children.
- More than ten million people live in
households that go hungry; close to one-third of these
are children.
- Over 40% of low-income children live
in households that are hungry or at risk of hunger. One-third
of female-headed households and more than 20% of Black
and Hispanic households are uncertain of having, or unable
to acquire,
enough food to meet the basic needs of their members because
of insufficient money to buy food.
Emergency Food Assistance
- In 2001, more than 23 million Americans
sought emergency food assistance from food banks, church
pantries, soup kitchens, meal sites, and shelters. On a
monthly basis, this is 6 million more low-income people
than are enrolled in the Food Stamp Program.
- Between 2001 and 2002, requests for emergency
food assistance increased by an average of 19% in American
cities, with 48% of requests coming from families with children.
- Children make up nearly 40% of all emergency
food clients. Another 20% are elderly Americans. Nearly
40% of all households served by food banks include someone
who is working.
Impact
- Recent research indicates that even mild
undernutrition experienced by young children during critical
periods of growth may lead to reductions in physical growth
and affect brain development.
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