Hunger in America 2014: National Report

Feeding America, the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief organization, has conducted the most comprehensive study of hunger in America every four years since 1993. Like the prior studies, Hunger in America 2014 (HIA 2014), the latest iteration, documents the critical role that the charitable food assistance network plays in supporting struggling families in the United States. Study results are based on surveys of food programs in the charitable food assistance network supported by Feeding America, and clients that access services through that network in 2012-2013. In addition to this report on the Feeding America national network, this study has resulted in 42 state reports and 196 food bank reports detailing network activities on local levels.The current assessment occurs in a period with historically high demand for food assistance. Unemployment and poverty rates have remained high since the Great Recession of 2008, and the number of households receiving nutrition assistance from the federal government's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program has increased by approximately 50 percent between 2009 and 2013.Demand for charitable food assistance has also expanded. HIA 2014 finds an increased number of individuals relying on charitable assistance to access nutritious foods for themselves and their families

Estimates of the Number of Feeding America Clients Served

Chapter 4 provides an estimate of the number of people the Feeding America's network of emergency food providers serve, a key factor in assessing the size and contribution of the network. The chapter also provides information on: The numbers of different types of providers in the network;The number of clients each different type of provider serves and;A discussion of the changes in agency and client estimates from 2005 to 2009. Key Findings: Overall, Feeding America pantries, kitchens, and shelters serve an estimated 37.0 million different people annually and 5.7 million different people in a typical week. (Excerpted from Hunger in America 2010

Hunger in America 2010 Highlights of Findings

Chapter 1 presents highlights of findings from Hunger in America 2010, a study conducted in 2009 for Feeding America (FA) (formerly America's Second Harvest), the nation's largest organization of emergency food providers. The study is based on completed in-person interviews with more than 62,000 clients served by the FA national network, as well as on completed questionnaires from more than 37,000 FA agencies. The study focuses on emergency food providers and their clients who are supplied with food by food banks in the FA network.Highlighted Findings Include: Estimates of the number of Feeding America clients served.Key demographic characteristics of clients.Levels of food insecurity among clients.Forms of government assistance that clients also receive.The health status of Feeding America clients.The number of food pantries, emergency shelters, and soup kitchens that the Feeding America national network includes.Where these agencies obtain their food.The number of volunteers who contribute their time to the Feeding America network. (Excerpted from Hunger in America 2010.

Estimates of Different Clients Across the Whole Feeding America System

Chapter 4.8 provides an estimate of the total number of different clients served by all three types of Feeding America emergency food providers, taken together. Key Findings: Approximately 8% of pantry users said they had also used a kitchen or a shelter.Approximately 51% of kitchen users said they had also used either a pantry or a shelter.Approximately 33% of shelter users said they had also used a pantry or a kitchen. (Excerpted from Hunger in America 2010.

Map the Meal Gap 2016: Highlights of Findings for Overall and Child Food Insecurity

In order to address the problem of hunger, we must first understand it. Feeding America undertook the Map the Meal Gap project to learn more about hunger at the local community level. By understanding the population in need, communities can better identify strategies for reaching the people who most need food assistance.At Feeding America, our mission is to feed America's hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks and engage our country in the fight to end hunger. Although we seek to meet the needs of food insecure individuals and families, it is not always easy to identify the need for food within each of our communities. But what is food insecurity and how do we understand the research around it? Traditionally, Feeding America has used state and national level USDA food insecurity data to estimate the need (e.g. "42 million Americans are at risk of hunger"), but food banks are rooted in their local communities and need better information at the ground level in order to be responsive to their unique local conditions.Until now, the number of people falling below the federal poverty threshold has been the indicator most typically used for identifying the need for food at the local level because it is one of the few indicators available at the county level. However, national food insecurity data reveal that about 57% of those struggling with hunger actually have incomes above the federal poverty level and 60% of poor households are food secure. Thus, measuring need based on local poverty rates alone provides an incomplete illustration of the potential need for food assistance within our communities. More accurate assessments of need across all income levels within our service areas can assist Feeding America and our network of food banks in strategic planning for charitable food services that best support Americans facing hunger, as well as inform the public policy discussion so that vital federal nutrition programs can better serve those in need. Most importantly, better community-level data can serve as an important resource for engaging community leaders and partners in the journey from aspiration (ending hunger) to achievement through a quantifiable and data-driven approach

Hunger in America 2010 Executive Summary

Feeding America seeks not only to immediately alleviate hunger through distribution of food and grocery products to people in need, but also to address the problem of hunger in the long-term by increasing awareness among the public, connecting clients seeking emergency food assistance with federal benefits, and advocating for changes to programs and policies that support low-income Americans and ultimately end hunger. This is our fifth extensive study of hunger, which we have conducted quadrennially since 1993. Through more than 61,000 face-to-face client interviews and more than 37,000 surveys of local charitable agencies, Hunger in America 2010 captures detailed information about who is in need of emergency food assistance and their circumstances, which, in turn, helps charitable feeding organizations develop programs that best support hungry Americans. The results also better inform the public policy discourse so that federal nutrition programs can better serve those in need

Estimates of the Number of Kitchens in the Feeding America Network

Chapter 4.5 provides an estimate of the number of food pantries in the Feeding America network.The adjusted estimate of kitchens in the Feeding America network is 4,453.(Excerpted from Hunger in America 2010.

Estimates of the Number of Food Pantries in the Feeding America Network

Chapter 4.3 provides an estimate of the number of food pantries in the Feeding America network.The adjusted estimate of total food pantries in the Feeding America network is 33,493.(Excerpted from Hunger in America 2010.