- 1 in 6 people in America face hunger.
- Households with children reported a significantly higher food insecurity rate than households without children in 2011. 20.6 percent vs. 12.2 percent.
- Food insecurity exists in every county in America. In 2011, 17.9 million households were food insecure.
- 50.1 million Americans struggle to put food on the table.
- In the US, hunger isn’t caused by a lack of food, but rather the continued prevalence of poverty.
- More than 1 in 5 children is at risk of hunger
- Among African-Americans and Latinos, it’s 1 in 3.
- Over 20 million children receive free or reduced-price lunch each school day. Less than half of them get breakfast and only 10 percent have access to summer feeding sites.
- For every 100 school lunch programs, there are only 87 breakfast sites and just 36 summer food programs.
- 1 in 7 people are enrolled in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Nearly half of them are children.
- 40 percent of food is thrown out in the US every year, or about $165 billion worth. All of this uneaten food could feed 25 million Americans.
- These seven states have statistically higher food insecurity rates than the US national average (14.7%):
- Mississippi (19.2%)
- Texas (18.5%)
- Arkansas (19.2%)
- Alabama (17.4%)
- Georgia (17.4%)
- Florida (16.2%)
- North Carolina (17.1%)
Do something about this issue today. Run a food drive. GO
Sources: Feeding America, Bread for the World, Yahoo News, SNAP to Health
