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- Nearly 38 million Americans are threatened by hunger every year even though we are the largest, most efficient producer of food in the world. On a given day, nearly one in 100 households in the United States experiences hunger.
- Nationwide, one in five children is food insecure -facing a limited or uncertain availability of food-and one in 100 children is hungry- experiencing physical discomfort as a result of recurrent or involuntary lack of food . Research shows that preschool and school-aged children who experience severe hunger have higher levels of chronic illness, anxiety, depression, and behavior problems.
- Our nation's poverty and hunger rates escalate annually due to high housing costs, low-paying jobs, and unemployment. In 2004, requests for emergency food assistance increased by 13 percent. Thirty-four percent of the requests were made by employed adults.
- Ninety-six billion pounds of food are wasted in our country each year.
- In the United States , Texas has by far the highest number of food-insecure households , at 16.4 percent, and the fourth highest rate of hunger, at 4.9 percent.
- More than 760,000 Texas Gulf Coast residents live in poverty.
- Of the 513,000 Texas families with children living in poverty, 415,000 include a working adult.
- More than 800,000 men, women, children, and elderly in the greater Houston area are forced to go without food at some point during the year because they have lost jobs, have jobs but are forced to choose rent and utility bills over groceries, or have mental or physical disabilities that make continued employment difficult, if not impossible.
- One in five children in Houston lives at or below the poverty level.
- The hunger relief system in the greater Houston area is approximately 6 million pounds short of what is needed.
The USDA classifies households without steady supplies of food as:
Food insecure – limited resources cause adults to run out of food, reduce the quality of food, feed their children unbalanced diets, or skip meals so their children can eat.
Hungry – lack of money causes…
- adults to decrease the quality and quantity of food they consume to the point where they are likely to be hungry on a
frequent basis, or
- children's intake is reduced to the point where they are likely to be hungry on a regular basis and adults' food intake is
severely reduced
Those at greatest risk of being hungry or on the edge of hunger (i.e., food insecure) live in households that are: headed by a single woman; Hispanic or Black; or with incomes below the poverty line. Overall, households with children experience food insecurity at more than double the rate for households without children. Geographically, food insecurity is more common in central city households. The survey data also show that households are more likely to be hungry or food insecure if they live in states in the West and South.
ERS Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Report, March 2002 "Household Food Security in the United States, 2000" (based on a national U.S. Census Bureau survey of households representative of the U.S. population)
Just being aware of the challenges many in our own community face is a big help. Awareness leads to action…action leads to a solution. Your participation in events such as Taste of Nation® Houston 2007 feeds your neighbors, provides opportunities for nutrition education and funds awareness campaigns to get others involved.
Join the fight. Be a Taste of Nation® Houston 2008 sponsor and foster hunger awareness in your community.
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