How many are hungry

Hunger has no boundaries
Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap study shows that hunger exists in every county in our nation. In Kansas and Missouri, there are hungry people living in sparsely-populated rural counties, suburban communities and urban centers.

In Harvesters’ 26-county service area, one in seven people is food insecure. Food insecurity means that a person or household may have food today, but does not know if there will be food tomorrow or enough food for everyone in the household. In Harvesters’ service area: 

• 382,070 people are food insecure and missing an estimated 67.6 million meals annually.
• 15.3 percent of people in our region, or one in seven, is food insecure.
• 38 percent of the food insecure population does not qualify for federal nutrition programs such as SNAP/food stamps, WIC or free and reduced-price school meals. When they need food assistance, they turn to nonprofit agencies such as those in Harvesters’ network. These people are typically above 185 percent of the poverty level, or $44,123 for a family of four.

Children are often among those most in need of food. In Harvesters’ service area:

• 127,190 children are food insecure.
• 20 percent of children under age 18 in our region, or one in five, is food insecure.
• 38 percent of the food insecure children live in households that do not qualify for federal nutrition programs and often must rely on charitable food assistance programs.

Check out the Map the Meal Gap interactive map and learn more about household and child food insecurity in your community.

Who is Hungry (See results of latest Hunger in America study)
The Impact of Hunger

Other Resources:
Hunger by the numbers in Harvesters’ 26-county region
Missouri Hunger Atlas provides county-level data about food insecurity in Missouri. 
Kansas Hunger Atlas provides county-level data about food insecurity in Kansas. 
Household Food Insecurity in the United States 2013, Economic Research Service, USDA
Feeding America is the nation’s largest domestic hunger relief charity. Harvesters is a member of Feeding America’s network of more than 200 food banks.
Food Research Action Center (FRAC)  is a national nonprofit organization focused on the issue of hunger.
• FRAC Kansas Profile of Hunger, Poverty and Federal Nutrition Programs
• FRAC Missouri Profile of Hunger, Poverty and Federal Nutrition Programs