Who is Hungry in the United States?
Close to one in eight Americans struggled with food insecurity even before the downturn in economy. (5) USDA surveys show that food insecurity remains most prevalent in low-income households that are single-parent families, Hispanic and black, in metropolitan or rural areas, and particularly in the Southern and Western states. (6) Families below the poverty line–earning less than $20,000 a year–who already spend over 20 percent of their income on food, (7) are most impacted by the food crisis. Unable to afford increasing prices at the stores, they are standing in swelling lines at food pantries marked by shortages. The hunger survey conducted by the Conference of Mayors shows that four main populations sought food assistance in 2007. (8) Households with Children Children make up 12 million of the 35.5 million Americans living with hunger or food insecurity. (9) Of the clients of America’s Second Harvest emergency food providers, 36.4 percent are children aged 0-17. (10) According to
