Alabamians were hungrier than the national average in 2014.
According to a Sept. 9 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) report, 14 percent of U.S. households were food insecure in 2014.
This number is slowly declining but remains well above the rates of food insecurity recorded before the Great Recession. And food insecurity rates in Alabama sit above the national average at 16.8 percent, according to the USDA.
“It is time to make ending hunger a national priority,” said Eric Mitchell, director of government relations at Bread for the World. “It is unacceptable that more than 17 million households in this country are struggling to put food on the table. We live in the most blessed country in the world, yet far too many people are at risk of hunger.”
The USDA defines food insecurity as “when consistent access to adequate food is limited by a lack of money and other resources at times during the year.”
Rates of food insecurity are higher than the national average for households with children, single parent households, black and Hispanic households and low-income households, namely those with incomes below 185 percent of the poverty threshold. The threat to children is especially high — 15.3 million children lived in food-insecure households in 2014.
Skipping meals
Nearly 1 million children lived in households in which “children were hungry, skipped a meal or did not eat for a whole day because there was not enough money for food,” according to the USDA’s annual report.
Studies show that children who are hungry and at risk of hunger are more likely to struggle in school and have an increased risk for illnesses and weakened immune systems.
Through Bread for the World’s 2015 Offering of Letters campaign, thousands of churches representing nearly 50 diverse Christian denominations throughout the U.S. have urged Congress to strengthen national child nutrition programs. The law governing these programs expired Sept. 30.
“Congress must pass a child nutrition bill that protects individuals and families who are struggling with hunger,” Mitchell said. “We are making progress in combating food insecurity through vital programs such as SNAP, WIC and school lunches. However, much more needs to be done to connect children at risk of hunger with the meals they need to learn and grow.”
(Bread for the World)
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