More U.S. families stuggle to get enough food for their
households, according to USDA report
A new report showing that nationwide food insecurity has
increased reflects what the local food bank has been experiencing
in recent years.
”
I’m afraid I wasn’t [surprised,]
”
said Mary Anne Hughes, executive director of the Community Food
Bank in San Benito County (formerly Community Pantry.)
”
We had just about the same amount of increase here during
[2008.]
”
More U.S. families stuggle to get enough food for their households, according to USDA report
A new report showing that nationwide food insecurity has increased reflects what the local food bank has been experiencing in recent years.
“I’m afraid I wasn’t [surprised,]” said Mary Anne Hughes, executive director of the Community Food Bank in San Benito County (formerly Community Pantry.) “We had just about the same amount of increase here during [2008.]”
Nearly 15 percent of American households reported having food insecurity in 2008, according to a national survey conducted by the United States Agricultural Department, the highest rate since the agency began collecting data in 1995.
According to the report “Household Food Security in the United States, 2008,” the number of families who qualified as having low food security rose to 14.6 percent, up 3.5 percent from 2007.
The number of families who reported very low food insecurity rose to 5.7 percent last year.
Households with very low-food security are those where members have had to reduce their food intake or disrupt their normal eating patterns because of a lack of food.
Hughes said although the number of clients at the local food bank have not gone up in recent months, the need has increased.
“We have become more and more a part of their budget,” she said. “In some cases, we are not supplemental anymore. We are [giving out] what they have to eat.”
She mentioned a group of students who recently toured Community Food Bank as part of an afterschool program.
“One thing the students asked is, ‘What happens if you run out of food before the last person?'” Hughes said. “That’s the thing nightmares are made of. It is a scary proposition that someone would need food and we would not have it here.”
That hasn’t happened yet, but the number of families in need of food is growing locally and nationwide.
USDA staff surveyed households across the United States with a questionnaire that contains 10 items for households without children, and an additional eight for those with children. They include such questions as, “In the last 12 months, did you or other adults in the household ever cut the size of your meals or skip meals because there wasn’t enough money for food?”
For any household that answered yes to the questions, they then asked how often the statement was true for the household – monthly, most months or a few months. The report stresses that food insecurity may have been recurrent, but that it is not what experts in the field call chronic. For most households, the food insecurity was limited to a few days a month or for most, a few days in just one or two months.
For some households, federal food and nutrition programs filled part of the gap. The report found that 55 percent of all food insecure households participated in one or more of the largest federal food and nutrition assistance programs in November 2008. These include the National School Lunch Program, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly known as food stamps) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children.
“I was sort of surprised by the fact that California has such a poor food stamp percentage,” Hughes said. “We are one of only four states that require fingerprinting, and I think that cuts down on the number of people or families [who apply.]”
She said that all adults in the household have to be fingerprinted and that it can be a hardship for families with adult members who work full time to apply during work hours.
“That is one of the reasons we have our outreach program to help fill out the forms and advocate for them,” she said. “It can be a little daunting.”
Many households also reported relying on community food banks for assistance as well.
The rates of food insecurity were highest in households with incomes near or below the federal poverty line, households with children headed by a single man or woman, and black or Hispanic households. It is also higher in large cities and in rural areas than in suburban communities.
Hughes said that one thing she has seen increase the need at the local food bank is reduced hours for people who haven’t been laid off.
“They might be still working and everything still looks fine, but reduced hours means a reduced budget,” Hughes said. “It means buying cheaper food, if you are using most or all of your money and get reduced hours.”
The report classifies households as having low food security if they answer yes to multiple questions on the survey regardless of how many months or days they had food insecurity. Those who answer yes to many of the questions are classified as having very low food security.
Households with children are especially vulnerable. The report found that 21 percent of households with children suffered from food insecurity at some point in 2008, though most of these households reported that the children had enough to eat – either through the school lunch program or because adults in the household cut back so the children could have complete meals. Only 1.3 percent of households reported that they had to cut back on food intake for children.
The prevalence of food insecurity also varies by state, with those in the South and Midwest hit harder. In 2008, California households reported a 12 percent rate of low food security and a 4.3 percent of very low food security. The rate in California is actually lower than the average in the first years when the USDA collected the data, from 1996-98, when a rate of 13.3 percent was reported.
The average food secure household spent $43.75 per person on food each week. Hughes estimates that the Food Bank gives out between $17-19 worth of food per person per week.
“We are a microcosm of the United States,” Hughes said. “It seems our numbers are never better and are often a little bit worse than what is happening in the United States.”
Holiday donations
For Thanksgiving, Community Food Bank received donations of 310 turkeys, including more than a hundred that were donated by local businesses such as Hazel Hawkins Hospital, MC Electronics, Milgard and Pacific Scientific. In addition to the turkeys, Community Food Bank staff purchased 2,000 chickens to give out for the holiday. But more donations are needed throughout the holiday season and year round.
The annual holiday food drive for Community Food Bank is under way. Residents can donate dry and canned goods at many participating businesses and agencies in San Benito County. Donations of food or money can also be made at 1133 San Felipe Drive, in Hollister, by calling 637-0340 or online at www.communitypantry.com.
Donations of clothing and other goods can also be made to Pat’s Place Thrift Shop at 101 Fifth St. in Hollister.
Scouting for Food
Local Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops will help collect canned and dry goods for Community Food Bank of San Benito County as part of their annual food drive in December. Hundreds of local kids will participate in handing out fliers to neighborhoods in San Benito County starting Dec. 5, asking residents to leave out a bag of groceries for pick up on Dec. 12.
“I have ties to both Boys and Girl Scouts,” said Jennifer Morcate, a parent who helps coordinate the food drive. “I combined them both so it gets a wider pool. This year it looks like it will be a really good year as far as neighborhoods.”
The fliers that go out will explain to residents that they can leave a bag of food out before 9 a.m. on Dec. 12, when Scout volunteers will return to collect the food.
For the younger Cub Scout and Brownie volunteers, Morcate said collection day is a little bit like an Easter egg hunt as the kids search for which homes have left out donations. The older kids turn it into a competition of sorts, to see who can collect the most food. At the end of the collection, the kids deliver everything to Community Food Bank.
The troops work closely with Mary Anne Hughes, the executive director of Community Food Bank, who offers up a tally of how many pounds are collected at the end of the food drive. In past years, the Scouts have brought in more than 2,000 pounds.
Any resident who does not receive a flier by mid-week, but who would like to participate, can call Jennifer Morcate at 638-9646 to arrange for a pick-up.
