Study: Hunger in America jumps ‘unprecedented’ 46 percent

[OhioChick]

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 -- 10:45 am

70 percent of emergency food centers face threats to their survival

If there is any indicator of the toll that the Great Recession has taken on the public, it would be the statistics beginning to emerge about hunger in the US.

According to a study from the nation's largest food bank operator, the number of Americans in need of food aid has jumped 46 percent in three years, including a 50 percent jump in the number of children needing food assistance, and a 64 percent increase in hunger in senior citizens' homes.

The study, Hunger in America 2010, found that 37 million people, or roughly one in eight US residents, received food aid in 2009. That's a 46 percent jump from a similar survey carried out in 2006.

"Clearly, the economic recession, resulting in dramatically increasing unemployment nationwide, has driven unprecedented, sharp increases in the need for emergency food assistance and enrollment in federal nutrition programs," said Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America, which operates some 200 food banks across the country.

More: http://rawstory.com/2010/02/study-unprecedented-hunger-us/

[jwirr]

1. The SHARE program has Thanksgiving and Christmas packages

available to all. I am a regular customer so I went to pick up our packages - bought one for each family. I walked into the church that hosts the program in our community and the church was full - they had more than 300 orders. Of course they were in chaos because that was many more than they were used to handling. This is in NE MN and we do not LOOK like a community that is hungry but this was a very good indication that we have families who need help with their food money. Most of these customers were back the next month.

[truedelphi]

2. It is hitting older people - 49 to 62 very hard if they own their own home

If they don't they can qualify for food stamps. (You can get food stamps if you own your home, but there exists the possibility that the County or State will put a lien on yuour home.)

The food stamp program has made the amount of money you receive each month far more liberal. And due to Obama officially calling it an "emergency" for ALL counties, the people at your local county social services cannot look you over, tell you you are able bodied and to go and look for work.

They have to give you food stamps if you make less than $ 1600 per month in Calif.