For Immediate Release

Contact: Patricia Rogers, (813) 254-1190 ex. 217

NEW USDA STATSTICS CONFIRM ESCALATING HUNGER CRISIS IN FLORIDA

Statewide numbers mirror those of the United States, where more than 49 million Americans are at risk of hunger

TAMPA, Nov. 16, 2009 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (USDA) reported today that 12.2 percent of households of Florida are “food insecure,” meaning that they lack consistent access to adequate amounts of nutritious food. In total, 49 million Americans, including nearly 17 million children, are food insecure. The 2009 report on Household Food Insecurity in the United States paints an alarming picture of the pervasiveness of hunger in our nation.

Demand at America's Second Harvest of Tampa Bay is up approximately 40 percent over this time last year, according to the Food Bank’s executive director, Pat Rogers.

The new data reinforces recent findings from a research study conducted by Feeding America, the nation’s leading hunger-relief organization of which America's Second Harvest of Tampa Bay is a member, reflecting a dramatic increase in requests for emergency food assistance. Conducted in September, the Feeding America study shows uniformly that its network of food banks witnessed an average increased need of nearly 30 percent this year.

“These are alarming numbers. It is tragic that so many people in west central Florida don’t have regular access to food,” said Rogers. “It is important to note that the USDA numbers reflect the state of the Florida in 2008. Since then, the economy has significantly weakened, and there are likely many more people struggling with hunger than this report states.

“We continue to work on the front lines feeding hundreds of thousands of people each year, through area food pantries, soup kitchens, and emergency feeding centers – more than 700 agencies in total,” said Rogers.

“These establishments, many of which are grass root and faith-based centers operated solely by volunteers, serve as an oasis for the people who seek relief weekly to help feed themselves and their families. Emergency food assistance is a critical link in our food bank’s response chain to help people through times of crisis.”

“National socio-economic indicators, including the escalating unemployment rate and the number of working-poor, lead us to believe that the number of people facing hunger will continue to rise significantly over the coming year,” added Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America.

“Research on previous economic recessions indicates that people who fall into the grips of poverty in a time of recession often times never recover. Many of those people are likely to be in need of our services now or in the future.”

Escarra observes, “Feeding America and its network food banks, including America's Second Harvest of Tampa Bay, will continue to work closely with our partners at USDA to ensure that the public and charitable sectors are keeping pace – as best we can – with the dramatically increasing needs for food assistance.”

About Feeding America Feeding America provides low-income individuals and families with the fuel to survive and even thrive. As the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity, our network members supply food to more than 25 million Americans each year, including 9 million children and 3 million seniors. Serving the entire United States, more than 200 member food banks support 63,000 agencies that address hunger in all of its forms. For more information on how you can fight hunger in your community and across the country, visit www.feeding.america.org.

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Fact Sheet Household Food Security in the United States, 2008

November 16, 2009

Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (USDA) released its annual study measuring food security in the United States, Household Food Security in the United States, 2008. This report presents statistics on how much households spent on food, and the extent to which food insecure households participated in federal and community food assistance programs for 2008.

The following include key highlights from the study; further analysis will soon be available on HungerNet and Network Connection.

Key Highlights

• In 2008, 49.1 million (16.4%) Americans lived in food insecure households compared to 36.2 million (12.2%) in 2007.

• In 2008, 17.2 million (14.6%) American households are food insecure compared to 13 million (11.1%) in 2007.

• In 2008, 8.3 million (21%) households with children are living in food insecure households compared to 6.2 million (15.8%) in 2007.

• In 2008, 16.7 million (22.5%) children are living in food insecure households compared to 12.4 million (16.9%) in 2007.

• The number of individuals who are food insecure increased 36% over 2007.

• The number of children increased 35% over 2007.

• Number of households in very low food security: 6,723,000 million The number of households with very low food security has increased 42% since 2007.

• Number of individuals in very low food security: 17,284,000 million The number of individuals with very low food security has increased 45% since 2007.

The full report can be accessed here.