Hunger: The Faces & Facts
A comprehensive study of hunger was conducted in 1997 by the Second Harvest National Food Bank Network and the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. This study confirmed with numbers what those providing food assistance have known for many years: That hunger in our community is real, it is pervasive, and it greatly diminishes all who are touched by it.
Among other things, the study found that one in ten Central Floridians finds it necessary to seek assistance with food at some time during each year. The populations found to be at the highest risk of being hungry in our society are women, children, and the working poor. In our community:
--46% of those who receive assistance with food are children.
--50% of households seeking food assistance have at least member working full time.
--13% of people needing help with food are low-income senior citizens.
The faces of our neighbors in need are as varied as the faces of Americans themselves. They include parents worried about their children, the sick and infirm, and elderly people making the most of limited incomes. Some are homeless, and others are simply hardworking low-wage earners who have experienced a financial crisis. Most never expected to need help.