Hunger in our state is at levels that continue to put
strain on the emergency food system. Knowing this
is important, but sharing the facts of hunger with
others in your community can make an even greater
impact.
Here is some information and trends about hunger in Washington that we encourage you to share with donors, elected officials, and others in your community:
· Since the beginning of the current recession, the number
of Washington families struggling with hunger has almost
2011, the number of households experiencing hunger rose nearly 100% to more than 160,000 households. This is 6.1% of total households in Washington. Washington’s rate of hunger is 11th highest in the nation.
· The percent of Washington households reporting very low food security, where food intake was actually reduced and normal eating patterns were disrupted, increased from 3.6% in 2005-2007 to 5.8% in 2007-2009, the highest rate in more than a decade.
· As many as 400,000 children in Washington – or 25% – live in food insecure households.
· In the fall of 2012, multiple food banks reported an all-time high record number of clients. The emergency food network distributed over 130 million pounds of food statewide in 2010.
· The number of visits to food banks (visits = the first time someone uses the food bank plus any subsequent visits) went from 7.80 million in FY10 to 7.98 million in FY11, a significant increase. There were nearly 2 million visits (new + returning clients) to food banks statewide in just the Fall of 2012, an increase of more than 59,000 when compared to the same quarter last year. This increase in usage has
put the emergency food system under a great deal of stress.
· In the past year, emergency food providers reported over 16 million fewer pounds of food was donated compared to the previous year. That equates to a loss of over $24 million worth of donated food coming into the food bank system. It is clear that donations are down, visits are up and their need for additional food and money is
urgent.
· Households with significantly higher rates of food insecurity include: lower income households, single men, African American and Hispanic households, and
households with children headed by a single woman.
· About 985,000 individuals per month in Washington received food assistance
through the Basic Food Program in 2010. This was a 20.6% increase from the year before. In terms of dollars distributed, Basic Food issuance (from both federal and state funds) in 2010 totaled over $1.5 billion.
· The National School Breakfast and Lunch Program and the Summer Feeding Programs served over one million adults and children in Washington.
· The Women Infants and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program, (which includes the WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program) served over 315,000 state residents in 2010.
Here is some information and trends about hunger in Washington that we encourage you to share with donors, elected officials, and others in your community:
· Since the beginning of the current recession, the number
of Washington families struggling with hunger has almost
2011, the number of households experiencing hunger rose nearly 100% to more than 160,000 households. This is 6.1% of total households in Washington. Washington’s rate of hunger is 11th highest in the nation.
· The percent of Washington households reporting very low food security, where food intake was actually reduced and normal eating patterns were disrupted, increased from 3.6% in 2005-2007 to 5.8% in 2007-2009, the highest rate in more than a decade.
· As many as 400,000 children in Washington – or 25% – live in food insecure households.
· In the fall of 2012, multiple food banks reported an all-time high record number of clients. The emergency food network distributed over 130 million pounds of food statewide in 2010.
· The number of visits to food banks (visits = the first time someone uses the food bank plus any subsequent visits) went from 7.80 million in FY10 to 7.98 million in FY11, a significant increase. There were nearly 2 million visits (new + returning clients) to food banks statewide in just the Fall of 2012, an increase of more than 59,000 when compared to the same quarter last year. This increase in usage has
put the emergency food system under a great deal of stress.
· In the past year, emergency food providers reported over 16 million fewer pounds of food was donated compared to the previous year. That equates to a loss of over $24 million worth of donated food coming into the food bank system. It is clear that donations are down, visits are up and their need for additional food and money is
urgent.
· Households with significantly higher rates of food insecurity include: lower income households, single men, African American and Hispanic households, and
households with children headed by a single woman.
· About 985,000 individuals per month in Washington received food assistance
through the Basic Food Program in 2010. This was a 20.6% increase from the year before. In terms of dollars distributed, Basic Food issuance (from both federal and state funds) in 2010 totaled over $1.5 billion.
· The National School Breakfast and Lunch Program and the Summer Feeding Programs served over one million adults and children in Washington.
· The Women Infants and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program, (which includes the WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program) served over 315,000 state residents in 2010.
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