| USDA Hunger Statistics 2005 |
USDA Hunger Statistics 2005The US Department of Agriculture released a new report on Friday, October 28 showing the fifth consecutive annual increase in the number of food insecure Americans nationwide. The total number of people living in food insecure households -- meaning those households that experienced difficulty purchasing food due to a lack of financial resources -- increased to 38.2 million in 2004. The good news is that Oregon experienced a statistically significant drop in the rate of food insecurity hunger, putting us near the national average for both hunger and food insecurity. Our rate of food insecurity with hunger decreased from 5.8% in 1999-01 to 3.8% in 2002-04. Our rate of food insecurity also decreased, from 13.7% in 1999-01 to 11.9% in 2002-04. We believe that the improvement in the hunger rate is due in large part to such successes as improved food stamp outreach resulting in an 80% increase in Food Stamp participation, Child Nutrition Program outreach, increased funding for and use of emergency food, and making the Child Care Tax Credit refundable. Our food insecurity rates have also improved slightly as the economy has improved. The refundable Child Care Tax Credit and the newly refundable Earned Income Tax Credit should help even more, as should increased state support for programs like the Summer Food Service Program. However, the food insecurity rate is still high enough to be of concern. Even with the improvement, more than 1 in 10 Oregonians experienced difficulty purchasing food due to a lack of resources at some time during the year. We need to keep working to ensure that families reach economic stability -- that they have the resources they need to meet all of their basic needs. This information comes at a critical time. The House is currently considering $50 billion in cuts to a number of vital support programs, including food stamps, Medicaid, and other safety net programs serving low-income households. These cuts would reduce access to important resources and result in increased hunger. For more information, please contact our Executive Director, Patti Whitney-Wise, at 503-757-8027. A copy of the full report is available on-line at www.ers.usda.gov/publications/err11/ To read the Food Research and Action Center's release regarding the report, please visit their website at http://www.frac.org/Press_Release/10.28.05.html |