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FACT SHEET

HUNGER IN AMERICA 2010

Introduction

According to the regional findings reported in the Hunger in America 2010, 201,700 people are receivingemergency food assistance through the Southwestern Virginia Second Harvest Food Bank’s network of 

partner agency feeding programs.

That is an increase of 60 percent over the findings reported four years ago in Hunger in America 2006,

which was based on data collected in 2005.

Southwestern Virginia Second Harvest Food Bank is providing food for an estimated 27,400 people each 

week.

Hunger in America 2010 is the first comprehensive research study that captures the connection between

a weak economy and increased needs for emergency food assistance. The data was collected in the

heart of the 2009 economic downturn (February-June 2009).

Top line Findings The 201,700 Southwest Virginia residents served annually by Southwestern Virginia Second Harvest

Food Bank include nearly 67 thousand children and more than 14 thousand seniors.

Each week, approximately 27,400 people receive emergency food assistance from an agency served

by a Southwestern Virginia Second Harvest Food Bank partner agency.

These numbers are based on surveys conducted at emergency feeding centers, such as soup

kitchens and food pantries, but do not factor in many individuals also served at non-emergency

locations, such as Kids Cafe programs and senior centers.

Client Households

70 percent of total client households served are food insecure, meaning they do not always know

where they will find their next meal.

81 percent of the client households reported that, during the previous 12 months, they had been in

a situation where the food they bought “just didn’t last” and they did not have money to get more.  

67 percent of households with children younger than 18 years old are also food insecure.

Of the 201,700 people the Southwestern Virginia Second Harvest Food Bank network serves:

o  84 percent of client households had income of 130% of the federal poverty level or below

the previous month.

o  The average monthly income for client households is $960.

o  34 percent of households have one or more adults who is working.

o  6 percent (12,000) of client households are homeless.

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Tough Choices

Many of the client households served by Southwestern Virginia Second Harvest Food Bank report that

their household incomes are inadequate to cover their basic household expenses.

42 percent of client households served report having to choose between paying for utilities orheating fuel and food.

27 percent of client households said they had to choose between paying for rent or a mortgage and

food.

25 percent of client households report having to choose between paying for medical bills and food.

28 percent of client households must choose between transportation and food.

Nearly one in four client households (21 percent) do not have health insurance themselves or have

someone in the household who does not have access to health insurance. More than half (60 percent) of 

our adult clients report that they have unpaid medical and hospital bills.

Fourty-one percent of households report having at least one member of their household in poor health.

Role of Federal Government

57 percent of clients receive food from TEFAP. 

53 percent of client households are receiving SNAP (formerly food stamps) benefits, more than

double the clients in 2006.

51 percent of client households with children ages 0 to 3 participate in the WIC program.

Among households with school-age children, 76 percent participate in the federal school lunch

program and 68 percent participate in the school breakfast program.

Agencies

Feeding America food banks provide food and groceries to 33,500 food pantries, 4,500 soup

kitchens and 3,600 emergency shelters nationwide.

82 percent of Southwestern Virginia Second Harvest Food Bank pantries rely solely on volunteers

and have no paid staff.

73 percent of all Southwestern Virginia Second Harvest Food Bank agencies, are faith-based

agencies affiliated with churches, mosques, synagogues and other religious organizations; 17

percent are other types of nonprofit organizations.

About the Southwestern Virginia Second Harvest Food Bank

The Southwestern Virginia Second Harvest Food Bank was founded in 1981 and is an affiliate member of 

Feeding America. The Food Bank’s ultimate mission is to eliminate hunger in the region. The primary

function of the Food Bank is to secure large quantities of food for the hungry. More than 13-million

pounds of food is channeled through a network of more than 340 partner feeding programs (in a 26-

county and 10-city region) that provide food or meals to those in need annually. Visit

www.swvafoodbank.org for more information.

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Methodology

Hunger in America 2010 is a scientific study conducted more than 62,000 face-to-face interviews with

people seeking emergency food assistance from one of the nearly 63,000 agencies served by a Feeding

America food bank.

More than 37,000 agencies also participated in Hunger in America 2010 by completing an agency

survey.

National Findings

Background: The National Economic Landscape

The economic recession of 2009, resulting in dramatically increasing unemployment and poverty

nationwide, has driven sharp increases in need for emergency food assistance and enrollment in federal

nutrition programs.

The 46 percent increase in need is likely being driven by the dramatically increasing rates of 

unemployment and poverty.

During 2005, when the last Hunger in America data was collected, the national unemployment rate

averaged 5.1 percent.1 

When the data collection for the 2010 study commenced in late winter and spring of 2009, the recession

was in full swing and the unemployment rate was rising rapidly, jumping from 4.9percent at the start of 

recession2 in December 2007, to 9.5percent when client data collection was completed in June 2009.

In addition, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that when individuals with “marginal labor force

attachment” and those who were working part-time involuntarily were considered, more than 17

percent of the population was affected in late 2009 by the shifting employment trends.

Clients, Income and Eligibility for Federal Programs Nationally

More than 70 percent of clients have household incomes below the federal poverty line, 88 percent

have household monthly incomes at or below 130 percent of poverty and 96 percent have household

monthly incomes at or below 185 percent of poverty.

The majority of households seeking assistance from the Feeding America network are eligible for federal

nutrition programs. However, 21 percent of households are not income eligible for SNAP benefits.

While there is an obvious relationship between poverty and the ability of households to access food,

USDA data indicates that 31percent of people who are food insecure in the United States live above185percent of poverty and therefore not eligible for SNAP.

Food banks are the main source of food for local hunger-relief charities in the nation.

1U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Found on the web December 16, 2009 at

http://data.bls.gov/PDQ/servlet/SurveyOutputServlet?data_tool=latest_numbers&series_id=LNS140000002

The National Bureau of Economic Research dates the beginning of the 2008-2009 recession from December 2007.

NBER defines a recession as a significant decline in economic activity spread across the economy, lasting more than

a few months, normally visible in production, employment, real income, and other indicators (Found on the web

December 16, 2009 at http://www.nber.org/cycles/dec2008.html).

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Food banks provide 75 percent of the food provided at food pantries, 50percent of food provided at

soup kitchens and 41 percent of food provided at emergency shelters. 55percent of agencies served by

the Feeding America network are faith based, 33percent are other nonprofit and 3percent are operated

by the government.

Feeding America

Feeding America provides low-income individuals and families with the fuel to survive and even thrive.

As the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity, our network members supply food to more than

37 million Americans each year, including 14 million children and 3 million seniors. Serving the entire

United States, more than 200 member food banks support more than 61,000 agencies that address

hunger in all of its forms. Feeding America is based in Chicago. For more information on how you can

fight hunger in your community and across the country, visit http://www.feedingamerica.org. Find us on

Facebook at www.facebook.com/Feeding America or follow our news on Twitter at

http://twitter.com/Feedingamerica.