In the United States, 35.5 million people are affected.
Every day in the USA, 12.6 million kids live in homes that do not always have enough food to eat.
The main cause of hunger is unexpected emercencies — lost jobs, unexpected medical emergencies, car repairs or increased rent that consume the household's food budget.
Kids who experience severe hunger are more likely to suffer from anxiety, depression, and behavioral problems.
Each year, requests for emergency food help have increased. Food banks are struggling to meet the demand.
In the U.S., 42% of African-American kids and 40% of Hispanic kids are hungry, while 16% of Caucasian kids are hungry.
1 in 2 families who accessed a food pantry at least once during 2008 had children under 18.
1 in 3 households that received food from a food pantry, kitchen or shelter had to choose between buying food and paying rent.
Almost 100 billion pounds of food is thrown away each year by American retailers, restaurants, and farmers. That’s 263 million pounds of wasted food per day!
Since 1999, the number of people in poverty has increased from 32.26 million to 36.46 million in 2008. Millions more Americans are living in poverty today.
Sources:
USDA, Economic Research Service
Bread for the World
America’s Second Harvest – The Nation’s Food Bank Network
U.S. Census Bureau
