The Facts of Hunger in the Twin Cities
The Cold Hard Facts.
Children
1 in 6 Minnesota children lives at risk of hunger.
40% of the members of households served by Second Harvest Heartland are children under 18 years old.
Children who suffer from poor nutrition during the brain’s most formative years score much lower on
tests of vocabulary, reading comprehension, arithmetic and general knowledge.
Working Families
Hungry Minnesota families miss 100 million meals each year.
9.5% of households in Minnesota are food insecure and will struggle to find enough food this week.
This equates to 1 in 10 households, many with children.
Seniors
Since 2008, visits by seniors to suburban emergency food programs have increased by more than 70%.
Reducing senior citizens’ risk of food insecurity or hunger benefits their health, nutrition and general
well-being.
Many report having to choose between food and other necessities:
• 44% report having to choose between paying for food and paying their rent or mortgage
• 31% had to choose between paying for food and paying for medicine or medical care
• 32% had to choose between paying for food and paying for transportation
• 45% had to choose between paying for food and paying for gas for a car
The number of Minnesotans who struggle to put enough food on the table remains at its highest level since the government started counting two decades ago. A new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture says about one in 10 Minnesota households doesn't have access to enough food for healthy living.
No one could have known that the need for hunger relief services would still be growing in 2014. Unfortunately, our work is needed now more than ever. According to a recent report, Minnesota’s real household median income is down 9.5% over the last ten years (Winkler, 2014). The downward slide results in 1 in 4 Minnesotans working in low-wage jobs
From 2008 to 2010, visits to food shelves increased by 62% statewide, according to Hunger Solutions. In the nine-county Twin Cities metropolitan area, the jump was an even more startling 97%.
Many clients are food insecure with low or very low food security – hunger. Among all client households 59% are food insecure, according to the US governments official food security scale. This included client households who have low food security and those how have very low food security. Among households with children, 61% are food insecure and 29% are food insecure with very low food security – hunger.
1 in 6 Minnesota children lives at risk of hunger.
40% of the members of households served by Second Harvest Heartland are children under 18 years old.
Children who suffer from poor nutrition during the brain’s most formative years score much lower on
tests of vocabulary, reading comprehension, arithmetic and general knowledge.
Working Families
Hungry Minnesota families miss 100 million meals each year.
9.5% of households in Minnesota are food insecure and will struggle to find enough food this week.
This equates to 1 in 10 households, many with children.
Seniors
Since 2008, visits by seniors to suburban emergency food programs have increased by more than 70%.
Reducing senior citizens’ risk of food insecurity or hunger benefits their health, nutrition and general
well-being.
Many report having to choose between food and other necessities:
• 44% report having to choose between paying for food and paying their rent or mortgage
• 31% had to choose between paying for food and paying for medicine or medical care
• 32% had to choose between paying for food and paying for transportation
• 45% had to choose between paying for food and paying for gas for a car
The number of Minnesotans who struggle to put enough food on the table remains at its highest level since the government started counting two decades ago. A new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture says about one in 10 Minnesota households doesn't have access to enough food for healthy living.
No one could have known that the need for hunger relief services would still be growing in 2014. Unfortunately, our work is needed now more than ever. According to a recent report, Minnesota’s real household median income is down 9.5% over the last ten years (Winkler, 2014). The downward slide results in 1 in 4 Minnesotans working in low-wage jobs
From 2008 to 2010, visits to food shelves increased by 62% statewide, according to Hunger Solutions. In the nine-county Twin Cities metropolitan area, the jump was an even more startling 97%.
Many clients are food insecure with low or very low food security – hunger. Among all client households 59% are food insecure, according to the US governments official food security scale. This included client households who have low food security and those how have very low food security. Among households with children, 61% are food insecure and 29% are food insecure with very low food security – hunger.
What Can We Do?
Great question! You can do many things to help including volunteer at a local food shelf, run a food drive at your work or school, and donate among other things! Click the button below to head over to the donation page, where you can donate to an organization that have been approved and found really worth the investment by yours truly. Three different organizations are listed.
Sources
604A.10 LIABILITY OF FOOD DONORS, Minn. Stat. Ann. § 604A.10 (CIVIL ACTIONS 2014 & Supp. 2014).
Retrieved from https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=604A.10
Food Insecurity- MPR News. (n.d.). Retrieved January 6, 2015, from MPR News website:
http://www.mprnews.org/story/2013/09/04/food-insecurity
Hunger facts and stats. (n.d.). Retrieved January 6, 2015, from North Central Food Bank website:
http://secondharvestncfb.com/AboutHunger/TheFaceofHunger/HungerFactsandStats.aspx
Hunger Free MN - After School Meals. (n.d.). Retrieved December 13, 2014, from Hunger Free MN
website: http://hungerfreemn.org/initiatives/after-school-meals/
"Hunger Solutions: Ideas for Solving Hunger". (n.d.). Retrieved January 6, 2015, from Hunger
Solutions.org website: http://www.hungersolutions.org/learn/#sthash.ExoT7dUZ.dpuf
MISA. (n.d.). Retrieved January 5, 2015, from MISA Farm Resources website: http://www.misa.umn.edu/
FarmFoodResources/LocalFood/AccesstoLocalFood/SupplementalInformation/HungerFreeMinnesota/index.htm
MLF - About Us. (n.d.). Retrieved November 26, 2014, from Mobile Loaves and Fishes website:
http://www.mlf.org/about-mlf/about-u/
MN hunger facts 2013-2014. (n.d.). Retrieved January 6, 2015, from Second Harvest Heartland website:
http://www.2harvest.org/pdf/hunger_facts_2013.pdf
Public Welfare and Related Activities, Minn. Stat. Ann. § 256E.34 (2014 & Supp. 2014).
Second Hand Harvest - Hunger Facts. (n.d.). Retrieved January 2, 2015, from Second Hand Harvest
website: http://www.2harvest.org/pdf/hunger_facts_2013.pdf
United Front MN. (n.d.). Retrieved January 1, 2015, from United Front website:
http://unitedfrontmn.org/hunger/twin-cities-hunger-initiative/
Wills, K. (n.d.). New Customers at Food Shelves. Retrieved January 6, 2015, from MPR News website:
http://www.mprnews.org/story/2013/09/04/food-insecurity
Winkler. (n.d.). Hunger in MN - Learn. Retrieved January 6, 2015, from Hunger Solutions website:
http://www.hungersolutions.org/learn/