Hunger
in Eastern Illinois
America's
Second Harvest conducted the largest study ever to be made
on the faces and factors of hunger in our society. The results
- Hunger in America 2006 -- show that children, the
elderly and the working poor are the ones in need. These
are the faces being seen at the member agencies on a regular
basis.
The
national study included surveys of agencies served by Eastern
Illinois Foodbank. Highlights of the study, respecting eastern
Illinois, are as noted below:
Who Receives Food Assistance?
-
Between 2%-9% of the members of households
are elderly.
-
Approximately
60% of clients are white; 34% are African American;
4% are Hispanic and 2% are from other racial or ethnic
groups.
-
34%
of households include at least one employed adult.
-
68%
have incomes below the official federal poverty level
during the previous month.
-
2%
are homeless.
How
Many People Are Food Insecure?
-
Among all clients of the Eastern
Illinois Foodbank, 80% are classified as food insecure,
using the U.S. government’s official food security
scale. This includes both clients who are food insecure
without hunger and those classified as food insecure
with hunger.
-
39%
of all clients of Eastern Illinois Foodbank are classified
by the scale as experiencing hunger.
-
Among
households with children, 79% are food insecure and
40% are experiencing hunger.
Do
People Have to Choose Between Food and Other Necessities?
-
50% of clients report having to choose
between paying for food and paying for utilities or
heating fuel.
-
39%
had to choose between paying for food and paying their
rent or mortgage.
-
32%
had to choose between paying for food and paying for
medicine or medical care.
Do
People Also Receive Food Assistance from the Government?
-
48% of EIF client households are
receiving Food Stamp Program benefits; however, it is
likely that many more are eligible.
-
Among
EIF households with pre-school children, 70% participate
in the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants,
and Children (WIC).
-
Among
EIF households with school-age children, 61% and 47%,
respectively, participate in the federal school lunch
and school breakfast programs.
What
Are the Characteristics of the Agencies?
-
85% of pantries, 58% of kitchens, and 38% of shelters
are run by faith-based agencies affiliated with churches,
mosques, synagogues, and other religious organizations.
-
Most
of the other agencies are private nonprofit organizations
with no religious affiliation.
What
is the Satisfaction of Agencies With the Foodbank's Services?
94.9%
of adult clients said they were either “very satisfied”
or “somewhat satisfied” with the amount of food
they received from their EIF member agency provider; 94.1%
were satisfied with the quality of the food they received.
Why
do we need to build awareness of hunger in America?
Increasing
awareness of hunger in America is crucial to ending hunger
- or at least significantly alleviating hunger. When we
increase awareness of the hunger issue among friends,
family and colleagues, among businesses and churches,
among government officials and local leaders, we not only
let others know a problem exists but we also encourage
others to get involved and we dispel some of the myths
about hunger. We can get people talking about hunger in
America, rather than setting the topic aside or concluding
that hunger does not or cannot possibly exist in the richest
nation in the world.
But
why advocate hunger awareness?
Many
of the legislative initiatives of recent years are a direct
result of advocacy. Ending hunger requires a national
commitment, statewide leadership and extraordinary public/private
partnerships; the charitable sector alone cannot possibly
solve hunger relief. Many of the policy decisions regarding
hunger exceed the grasp and resources of voluntary agencies
and can only be made in the context of public authority.
