Last week, the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) issued its annual State of the States report. The report uses data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide state-by-state profiles of poverty levels, food insecurity and participation in federal nutrition programs for school-age children.
According to FRAC, an average of 32,000 D.C. households had difficulty providing enough food for all their members at some time during each year between 2005 and 2008. In 10,000 of these households, members sometimes went hungry because there wasn’t enough money or other resources for food.
The situation is actually worse because these figures do not include homeless people. Nor do they reflect soaring food costs or the economic downturn in 2008.
FRAC offers a four-point anti-hunger strategy for the Administration, Congress and state and local governments. As an immediate step, it advocates a boost in food stamp benefits as part of the next package of economic recovery legislation.
At this point, the maximum monthly allotment of food stamps for a family of three covers, on average, less than $1.70 per person per meal. This is hardly enough to nourish growing children–or adults.
But, as FRAC points out, eliminating hunger will require a broader strategy aimed at improving the economic situation of low-income famiies and supports to ensure they always have enough nutritious food for an active, healthy life.
– Kathryn
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