A study released today by the Food Bank of Delaware and Feeding America, the

nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization, reports that 241,600 different

people receive emergency food each year through the Food Bank of Delaware. The

findings represent an increase of 153,200 people since the findings reported in

Hunger in America 2006.

 

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. The number of children and adults in need of food as

a result of experiencing food insecurity has significantly increased. 

 

An estimated 17,500 people receive emergency food assistance each week from a

food pantry, soup kitchen or other agency served by the Food Bank of Delaware.

 

“These numbers are not only shocking, but unacceptable,” said Food Bank of Delaware President and CEO, Patricia Beebe. “Through public policy initiatives we need to work with our government leaders to implement new changes that will help Delawareans who are struggling to put food on the table each night. No family or individual in the First State should have to worry about where their next meal is coming from.”

 

Some of the top-line findings from the Hunger in America 2010 study include:

• 43 percent of households served by the Food Bank of Delaware include at least one working adult.
• 44 percent of household members served by the Food Bank are children under 18 years old.
• 19 percent of individuals served are non-Hispanic whites.
• 71 percent of individuals served are black.
• 4 percent of individuals served are Hispanic.
• 72 percent of clients served have incomes below the federal poverty level
• 15 percent of clients served are homeless
• 72 percent of clients are food insecure

The methodology incorporated into the 2010 study includes data collected from February through June, 2009.  The Food Bank of Delaware conducted face-to-face interviews with 245 people seeking emergency food at food pantries, soup kitchens and other emergency feeding programs, as well as interviews with 132 agencies that provide food assistance.

 

Nationally, more than one in three client households are experiencing very low food security—or hunger—a 54 percent increase in the number of households compared to four years ago.

 

An estimated 5.7 million people receive emergency food assistance each week from a food pantry, soup kitchen, or other agency served by one of Feeding America’s more than 200 food banks, including Food Bank of Delaware. This is a 27 percent increase over numbers reported in Hunger in America 2006.

 

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 study the largest, most-comprehensive ever conducted on domestic hunger.    

 

Please click here to view the Executive Summary of the Hunger in America 2010 study. Please click here for a Side-by-Side Comparison of results from 2006 and 2010. For the entire report, please click here.