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Although related, food insecurity and poverty are not the same. Unemployment rather than poverty is a stronger predictor of food insecurity. Poverty[1]
In 2009, 43.6 million people (14.3 percent) were in poverty.
In 2009, 8.8 million (11.1% percent) families were in poverty.
In 2009, 24.7 million (12.9 percent) of people ages 18-64 were in poverty.
In 2009, 15.5 million (20.7 percent) children under the age of 18 were in poverty.
In 2009, 3.4 million (8.9 percent) seniors 65 and older were in poverty.
In 2010, 48.8 million Americans lived in food insecure households, 32.6 million adults and 16.2 million children.
In 2010, 14.5 percent of households (17.2 million households) were food insecure.
In 2010, 5.4 percent of households (6.4 million households) experienced very low food security.
In 2010, households with children reported food insecurity at a significantly higher rate than those without children, 20.2 percent compared to 11.7 percent.
In 2010, households that had higher rates of food insecurity than the national average included households with children (20.2 percent), especially households with children headed by single women (35.1 percent) or single men (25.4 percent), Black non-Hispanic households (25.1 percent) and Hispanic households (26.2 percent).
In 2009, 8.0 percent of seniors living alone (925,000 households) were food insecure.
Food insecurity exists in every county in America, ranging from a low of 5 percent in Steele County, ND to a high of 38 percent in Wilcox County, AL.[3]
Nine states exhibited statistically significant higher household food insecurity rates than the U.S. national average 2008-2010:1
United States 14.6%
Mississippi 19.4%
Texas 18.8%
Arkansas 18.6%
Alabama 17.3%
Georgia 16.9%
Ohio 16.4%
Florida 16.1%
California 15.9%
North Carolina 15.7% Use of Emergency Food Assistance and Federal Food Assistance Programs
In 2010, 4.8 percent of all U.S. households (5.6 million households) accessed emergency food from a food pantry one or more times.2
In 2010, 59.2 percent of food-insecure households participated in at least one of the three major Federal food assistance programs –Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly Food Stamp Program), The National School Lunch Program, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.2
Feeding America provides emergency food assistance to an estimated 37 million low-income people annually, a 46 percent increase from 25 million since Hunger in America 2010.[4]
Among members of Feeding America, 74 percent of pantries, 65 percent of kitchens, and 54 percent of shelters reported that there had been an increase since 2006 in the number of clients who come to their emergency food program sites.4
[1] U.S. Census Bureau. Carmen DeNavas-Walt, B. Proctor, C. Lee. Income, Poverty, and Heath Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2009.
[2] USDA. Coleman-Jensen, A., Nord, M., Andrews, M., & Carlson, S. Household Food Security in the United States in 2010.
[3] Feeding America. Gundersen, G., Waxman, E., Engelhard, E., & Brown, J. Map the Meal Gap, 2011.
[4]Rhoda Cohen, J., Mabli, F., Potter, Z., Zhao. Mathematica Policy Research, Feeding America. Hunger in America 2010. February 2010.
[i] U.S. Department of Labor.Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2010 Annual Average Unemployment Rates.
If those "facts" are true, why are you lefties going to vote for obama again?
The family I mentioned, single father of 3 boys gets $641 in EBT/SNAP per month. That is supposed to feed him and 3 teenage boys; very hard to do.
He is a good budgeter and uses coupons, with that and cooking meals from scratch (remember that concept), he mostly makes it but does have to supplement from his part-time minimum wage job. And before you ask, yes the teenagers are trying to get a job, but no-one is hiring.
Before you criticize, walk a mile in their shoes.
That can be said of many, many people.
YOU criticize ME for not wanting to feed grown, healthy adults and their families? As hard as I work? As much sacrifice as I've made? The people whom I've helped? The responsibilities which I take care of, somehow, someway?
As far as the teens getting jobs, there are literally thousands of opportunities for teens to earn money. They just have to WANT it.
There are no excuses. Unless they are handicapped.
You need to de-warp his brain and teach him right. He needs to be counter-socialized from the excessive stupidity of the Extravagant American Life-Styleâ„¢.
I was all-city, all-county and honorable mention at State (as an offensive center) and I only ate meat 4-6 days a week.
Tell little brain he could save a lot of money by buying less meat that they don't really need in the first place, and also by buying cheaper cuts of meat. Instead of chicken, get gizzards and livers. And if you buy a chicken, then buy a whole chicken. In less than 1 minute I can cut a whole chicken into 2 legs, 2 boneless thighs, two boneless breasts, two wings and parts for chicken stock/soup. You can be stupid and buy boneless chicken breasts at $6.99/lb or you can buy a whole chicken at $0.88/lb and make your own boneless chicken breasts (in a matter of seconds).
Instead of buying pork chops, buy the cheaper pork brains or pork liver, hag maws, chitlins and such. They'll live.
Home economically...
Mircea
They won't.
The recipient class feel that they deserve better.
Erm, I'm afraid that not everyone will find your menu to be palatable (or healthy). And by the way, $641/month translates into about $160/person for a four person family (three of which are growing teenagers). In this economy, it is very hard to feed four people on such a budget. And finally, I wouldn't be making assumptions as to what this man buys with his food stamps. For all you know, he does buy whole chickens.
Always with the excuses.....
I will turn this around on you.
You're trying to convince me that 3 healthy teens cannot earn $160 a month each to feed themselves?
I know mentally/physically disabled people who can earn that in a few days.
The fact of the matter is this....it is easier to sit around waiting than getting off your azz working.
I have been to his place, he doesn't buy junk and tries to avoid prepackaged stuff. Buying healthy is not cheap; fruit, veggies, meat all adds up. The middle teenager eats more than the other 2 combined and is skinny as a rail. Pop/soda is also a rare treat but he always keeps milk in the fridge.
Like I said, don't judge until you walk in his shoes.
I can and I will judge, since they are living off of the fruits of MY labor.
Three teens can at the very least feed themselves.
Seriously ? They get massive returns depending on the number of children they have. And as to how my mother knows, it's because they pay with those money cards the tax preparer issues them.
I know someone who has 3 kids and because she is low income she got something like 7 thousand dollars.
Well in my area it doesn't work that way, the people on welfare here don't get a tax return simply because they haven't worked..
You should make it harder for corporations to get welfare. Yes. But not poor people.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Workaholic?
The number of people who get FOOD STAMPS is at an all time high. It is busting our budget. But on the other hand I don't want kids to starve. But at what income should the working poor be allowed to qualify for Food Stamps?
I was talking to some relatives who are getting Food Stamps for the first time recently. I asked them what happened to them recently that forced them to apply for Food Stamps in 2011 for the first time. Their answer: "Nothing, the government loosed eligibility requirements so people at our income level qualified." So I looked into it and found out that while the recession and unemployment and falling wages are a part of the rapid increase in Food Stamps; a even larger reason for the increase in Food Stamp use is the government has raised the income a family can make and still be eligible. Is this a good idea?
The conversation about Food Stamps with our relatives ended when their son wanted to talk about their upcoming trip to California and a week they will spend at the Disneyland Hotel!
You're trying to convince me that 3 healthy teens cannot earn $160 a month each to feed themselves?
I know mentally/physically disabled people who can earn that in a few days.
The fact of the matter is this....it is easier to sit around waiting than getting off your azz working.
I'm disabled and I'm telling you that very few people can survive on a food allowance of $160/month. Not in this country. Not in this economy. What is very easy is to criticize the disadvantaged. Congratulations.
I can and I will judge, since they are living off of the fruits of MY labor.
Three teens can at the very least feed themselves.
You just have to want to.
Do the math. You contribute a small fraction of a dollar of what they get. But hey, if it makes you feel like an alpha male criticizing the disadvantaged, go for it.
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