The Ranks of Low-Income Hungry Americans is Growing According to America's Second Harvest National Study

Largest, Most Comprehensive Report Examines Who is Seeking and Who Is Providing Emergency Food Relief Services

Washington, DC -- More than 23 million Americans nationwide sought and received emergency hunger relief from America's Second Harvest network of private charities in 2001, an increase of about 9 percent, or nearly two million people, since 1997, according to a definitive study commissioned by America's Second Harvest.

At a news conference here today, America's Second Harvest released this and other key hunger findings as it presented the study, Hunger in America 2001, the largest and most comprehensive examination of Americans who seek emergency food relief and the charitable network that serves them.

"The rise in the number of hungry Americans over the past four years is striking because it occurred even as the wealthiest and most food abundant nation in the world was emerging from one of the strongest economic climates in recent history," said Robert H. Forney, President and Chief Executive Officer of America's Second Harvest, the national network of food banks and food-rescue organizations.

Although the number of people classified as "living in poverty" and the number of people receiving food stamps and welfare assistance had declined to levels unmatched in recent years, demand for emergency food assistance has increased.

In addition to showing increased requests for aid, Hunger in America 2001 punctures the myth that hunger is only the problem of the inner cities, homeless or the chronically unemployed. In fact, nearly 40 percent of households that received assistance through America's Second Harvest included an adult who was working. As in 1997, women and single-parent families are disproportionately experiencing hunger with women representing nearly two-thirds of adults seeking food assistance. Nearly half (47%) of all emergency food recipients served by food banks live in rural or suburban areas of the country. Only 10% of the total seeking assistance were homeless.

The study found that children are disproportionately the victims of America's hunger problem. More than nine million children received emergency food assistance this year, which is roughly one million more people than the total population of the New York City. This is especially alarming in light of ample medical evidence that under-nutrition and hunger have powerful, adverse impacts on a child's long-term cognitive, psychological, social and physical development.

"Far too many of the hungry in America are leading a fragile existence," Forney said. "That means that the accelerated downturn of the economy in recent months may deal a powerful blow to those already seeking assistance and will likely bring others into food banks, church food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters for help."

Eight out of ten emergency food providers say they are serving more people now than a year ago, and many agencies are reporting substantial increased demand just in the past two months. In some communities the number of families requesting help has more than doubled.

Many of America's hungry face difficult choices between the essentials of living. Nearly half (45 percent) have to choose between paying for utilities, or buying food. More than 35 percent have to choose between buying food, or paying the rent or mortgage. Twenty-nine percent are also saddled with difficult choices between paying for healthcare or filling prescriptions and buying food. Although some of these people qualify for food assistance programs like food stamps, they often are not familiar with, or able to access the system.

"In spite of the alarming picture painted by the study, we believe that hunger in the U.S. is a solvable problem," Forney said. "Our network of charitable hunger-relief agencies and volunteers, which have attained an unprecedented level of sophistication and reach, can't address the problem alone. Even though food banks and food-rescue organizations in America's Second Harvest network are distributing more food than they did in 1997, one in five local charitable agencies are facing problems threatening their ability to serve hungry people in their communities."

"Perhaps more than ever, we count on the continued generosity from the food and grocery industry and agricultural sector," Forney added. "We need individuals to get involved. Most of all, we need the continued support of the myriad of federal nutrition programs."

The study shows that federal support programs like food stamps, WIC and child nutrition programs like school meals and summer food are absolutely crucial to helping low-income families survive. But, they aren't always accessible to the working poor or elderly and often the benefits these programs provide is too small to keep hunger away. According to the study, a substantial number - nearly 70 percent - of the people served by private emergency hunger-relief agencies are not enrolled in food stamps even though upwards of 75 percent are income eligible. And for those who are enrolled in food stamps, they report that their food stamps only last a couple of weeks.

Hunger in America 2001 was independent research conducted by Mathematica Policy Research (MPR), one of the nation's preeminent social policy research firms. Nationwide, more than 30,000 low-income people provided face-to-face interviews addressing questions about their income, difficult choices they have to make to buy food, and whether or not their children have enough to eat.