Hunger in America

Unbelievably, one in eight Americans needs some kind of emergency food assistance. This is according to a new report.

It's 431 pages long, if readers want to read the whole report.

From the executive summary:

76 percent (10 million) of client households served are food insecure, meaning they do not always know where they will find their next meal.
36 percent of these client households are experiencing food insecurity with hunger, meaning they are sometimes completely without a source of food.
79 percent (11 million) of households with children served are also food insecure.
Of the 37 million people the Feeding America network serves:
70 percent of households have incomes below the federal poverty line.
The average monthly income for client households is $940.
36 percent of households have one or more adults who is working.
10 percent of client households are homeless.

Tough Choices

Many of the client households served by Feeding America food banks report that their household incomes are inadequate to cover their basic household expenses.
46 percent of client households served report having to choose between paying for utilities or heating fuel and food.
39 percent of client households said they had to choose between paying for rent or a mortgage and food.
34 percent of client households report having to choose between paying for medical bills and food.
35 percent of client households must choose between transportation and food.

One in four client households (24 percent) do not have health insurance and nearly half of our adult clients report that they have unpaid medical and hospital bills.

Thirty percent of households report having at least one member of their household in poor health.