Hunger affects neighbors from all walks of life. Millions of people in America are just a job loss, a missed paycheck, or an unexpected medical emergency away from hunger. But hunger doesn’t affect everyone equally – some groups like children, seniors, Black, Indigenous, and other people of color face hunger at much higher rates.
Facts about hunger in America:
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- According to the USDA, more than 34 million people, including 9 million children, in the United States are food insecure.
- The pandemic has increased food insecurity among families with children and communities of color, who already faced hunger at much higher rates before the pandemic.
- Every community in the country is home to families who face hunger. But rural communities are especially hard hit by hunger.
- Many households that experience food insecurity do not qualify for federal nutrition programs and visit their local food banks and other food programs for extra support.
- Hunger in African American, Latino, and Native American communities is higher because of systemic racial injustice. To achieve a hunger-free America, we must address the root causes of hunger and structural and systemic inequities.
To find out more about a nationwide study: http://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/
