…Food Aid Is Facing The Perfect Storm
1. The perfect economic storm seems to be in full swing. The U.S. housing market is in the tank, oil prices are soaring, and the credit crisis is paralyzing the banking world. While economists debate whether the U.S. is in the midst of a recession, people from all walks of life are finding it harder to make ends meet. Factor in surging food and gas prices and you will find more people in need of food aid.
2. The number of people in need is staggering. USA Today points out that government data for 2006 (the latest available) shows 10.9% of households were food insecure, “a bureaucratic term meaning they did not have enough food for a healthy lifestyle at some point in the year.” That’s 35.5 million people! Of these, 22.9 million are adults (10.4% of all adults) and 12.6 million are children (17.2% of all children). At 21.8% and 19.5%, Black and Hispanic households, respectively, experience the highest rates of food insecurity.
3. Demand for food aid is on the rise. According to the U.S. Department of Agricultural, 26 million people participate in the food stamps program, with working class families accounting for approximately 41% of those in 2006, up from 30% tens years earlier. Second harvest, the largest network of food banks in the U.S., says demand is up an average of 15% to 20% from a year ago.
4. Donations are down. In addition to reduced personal and corporate sponsorship, federal government donations have been on the decline (though should show signs of recovery now that the Farm Bill has been passed by the House of Representatives).
5. Behind the strength of food and commodity prices, farmers are selling crops on the open market as opposed to government, price-supported programs. This creates additional pressure on food banks as those that purchase food to supplement donations are facing much higher costs. In a recent survey of Second Harvest food banks, over 80% reported that they could not meet demand without trimming operations or reducing the amount of food given out.
If you are interested in making a donation, please visit Second Harvest (for U.S. donations) and The Daily Bread Food Bank (Canada). Also, please feel free to post other sites in the comments.
