|
Facts about Hunger in Western Massachusetts
More than 100,000 people in the four counties seek food assistance at Food Bank member agencies
In some towns in our region, hunger rates are more than six times higher than the statewide average
Rates of hunger in Massachusetts increased by 22% between 2002 and 2005
Poverty rates in the four counties are: 10.5% (Berkshire), 9.2% (Franklin), 15.1% (Hampden), and 9.7% (Hampshire)
27% of the people The Food Bank serves are children; 11% are elderly; and 11% are homeless families
|
Who Is Hungry?
In western Massachusetts
and across the nation, the numbers of people facing “food
insecurity” – those without an assured ability to
acquire nutritious foods in socially acceptable ways – are
growing.
In western Massachusetts,
those in need are our own neighbors – senior citizens on fixed
incomes, single parent families, the unemployed, and the
working poor – who struggle to make ends meet. They are young and old,
in cities and small towns, living in families or alone.
Thousands of people
are served by our member agencies every year. Learn more from the
Hunger in
America 2006 study.
 Many people seek emergency
food to get them through a short-term crisis: a layoff, a critical
illness, or loss of home due to fire. Others are unemployed
and hungry with no way to buy food.
An increasing number
are seeking food to fill in gaps their paychecks aren’t
covering. With 25% percent of U.S. workers making $8
an hour or less, many families are living from week to week, just
on the edge of emergency.
The new economy has enabled most adults leaving welfare
to find some work, but most of these jobs provide an income below
the poverty line or not much above it. As the job market has
shifted from a steady manufacturing base to service jobs, the
Women’s Educational and Industrial Union reports that the median
household income in Massachusetts has fallen 10% since 1989.
What does it mean to live in poverty?
The Catholic Campaign for Human Development created
a Web page that breaks down the budget of a family
of four living in poverty, from housing and heat to
food and childcare.
View the presentation.
top
Childhood Hunger in America
-
One in five children in our nation (approximately 15 million)
live at or below the poverty line (U.S. Census Bureau).
-
Nearly two-thirds of poor young children live in working families
(The National Center for Children in Poverty).
-
Recent research indicates that even mild under-nutrition during
critical periods of growth may affect brain development and
reduce physical growth (Tufts University School of Nutrition
Science and Policy).
-
Requests for emergency food assistance have risen by 18 percent
in American cities, with more than half of the requests coming
from families with children (U.S. Conference of Mayors).
top
Local Resources & Information
The Quest for Economic Independence in the
Commonwealth:
2006 Self-Sufficiency Standard for Springfield and
North Adams
Crittenton Women's Union (CWU) works to change the
course of low-income women's lives so that they can
attain
economic independence and create better futures for
themselves and their families. By documenting the
actual costs
families face in Massachusetts, CWU can ensure that
women are well-informed as they work toward economic
independence and that government programs support
them on their journey. for the full reports click
below
Springfield Report
North Adams
Report
Project Bread, a statewide anti-hunger
organization has
published its
2007 Status
Report on Hunger in Massachusetts.
Hunger in America 2006
The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts is one of 156 food
banks that participated in
Hunger in America 2006, the
largest, most comprehensive study ever conducted on domestic
hunger.
Take Action!
Learn more about how you can take action to end hunger!
top
Additional Resources on Hunger & Food Insecurity
top
|
