Monday, November 15, 2010 11:49 PM
The Columbus Dispatch
Ohio has broken into the top 10 states for hunger, as about one in every seven households struggled or did not have enough money to buy food.
That's according to an annual report released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Nearly 680,000 families - 14.8 percent - were found to be "food insecure" at some point in 2009.
That's a jump from 13.3 percent the previous year, when Ohio ranked 12th in the nation.
Nationwide, more than 17.4 million families - 51 million Americans - reported that they were unable or had difficulty feeding themselves last year, up slightly from the previous record of 17.1 million households a year earlier.
It marks the fourth straight year for an increase in the number of Americans experiencing hunger. It's the highest rate of food insecurity since 1995, when the first federal survey was conducted.
"It's the economy and the fact that if people have been fortunate enough to hold onto their jobs, their wages are flat, and those in hourly positions have seen those hours cut," said Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, executive director of the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks.
"Food is a basic human need, yet increasing numbers of Ohioans are faced with tough decisions each and every day that affect their ability to put enough food on the table and meet their family's nutritional needs."
Hamler-Fugitt said more than 1.9 million Ohioans visited a food pantry during the last quarter. Since 2007, demand at pantries has increased by nearly 69 percent. An increasing number of those seeking help are middle-age, unemployed professionals who have been unable to find jobs.
At the same time, Ohio's food-stamp rolls swelled to more than 1.6 million last year.
The report, released 10 days before Thanksgiving, found Arkansas had the highest percentage of households struggling or unable at times to get enough food, 17.7 percent, followed by Texas and Mississippi.
North Dakota had the lowest rate, 6.7 percent.
The national average was 13.5 percent.
Kevin Concannon, undersecretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, said the report underscores the importance of food stamps and other emergency food assistance during difficult economic times.
While the continued high level of food insecurity was cause for concern, he noted that the national rate rose only slightly despite a significant increase in unemployment and poverty between 2008 and 2009.
Of those surveyed, 57 percent of food-insecure households said they or someone in their family had received food stamps or was enrolled in the free and reduced-price lunch or Women, Infants, and Children nutrition program.
Concannon suggested that the level of food insecurity may have been higher had those safety-net programs not been in place.
Those who said they did not have enough money for food at some point during the year included:
• 43 percent of families with incomes below the federal poverty line or $21,756 a year for a family of four in 2009.
• 37 percent of households with children headed by a single woman.
• 27 percent of Hispanic families.
• 25 percent of black households.
ccandisky@dispatch.com
That's according to an annual report released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Nearly 680,000 families - 14.8 percent - were found to be "food insecure" at some point in 2009.
That's a jump from 13.3 percent the previous year, when Ohio ranked 12th in the nation.
Nationwide, more than 17.4 million families - 51 million Americans - reported that they were unable or had difficulty feeding themselves last year, up slightly from the previous record of 17.1 million households a year earlier.
It marks the fourth straight year for an increase in the number of Americans experiencing hunger. It's the highest rate of food insecurity since 1995, when the first federal survey was conducted.
"It's the economy and the fact that if people have been fortunate enough to hold onto their jobs, their wages are flat, and those in hourly positions have seen those hours cut," said Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, executive director of the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks.
"Food is a basic human need, yet increasing numbers of Ohioans are faced with tough decisions each and every day that affect their ability to put enough food on the table and meet their family's nutritional needs."
Hamler-Fugitt said more than 1.9 million Ohioans visited a food pantry during the last quarter. Since 2007, demand at pantries has increased by nearly 69 percent. An increasing number of those seeking help are middle-age, unemployed professionals who have been unable to find jobs.
At the same time, Ohio's food-stamp rolls swelled to more than 1.6 million last year.
The report, released 10 days before Thanksgiving, found Arkansas had the highest percentage of households struggling or unable at times to get enough food, 17.7 percent, followed by Texas and Mississippi.
North Dakota had the lowest rate, 6.7 percent.
The national average was 13.5 percent.
Kevin Concannon, undersecretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, said the report underscores the importance of food stamps and other emergency food assistance during difficult economic times.
While the continued high level of food insecurity was cause for concern, he noted that the national rate rose only slightly despite a significant increase in unemployment and poverty between 2008 and 2009.
Of those surveyed, 57 percent of food-insecure households said they or someone in their family had received food stamps or was enrolled in the free and reduced-price lunch or Women, Infants, and Children nutrition program.
Concannon suggested that the level of food insecurity may have been higher had those safety-net programs not been in place.
Those who said they did not have enough money for food at some point during the year included:
• 43 percent of families with incomes below the federal poverty line or $21,756 a year for a family of four in 2009.
• 37 percent of households with children headed by a single woman.
• 27 percent of Hispanic families.
• 25 percent of black households.
ccandisky@dispatch.com
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