5th in the Nation
8/27/2012 4:00:00 PM by jlantrip
The study that came out last week (the release is below) was shocking to many of us who work at the Food Bank. We know it is bad. We see the lines of families waiting for food. We hear the stories from our SNAP outreach team that break our hearts. But, one in five? Fifth worst in the nation when it comes to food hardship? These aren't rankings that we are comfortable with. Who would be? The truth is that of the emergency food services given across the country, 20% are administered by Food Banks and similar charitable organizations and the other 80% is through the federal government and emergency feeding programs. When the Food Banks and Feeding America talk about cuts to these programs and the devistation that could very well follow, it is because we know who will suffer in this fight and it is the very people we are trying to help. Please show your support for SNAP and other important feeding programs. One in five is a good reason not to cut.
Nearly One in Five Nevada Residents Report Struggle to Afford Enough Food d uring First Six Months of 2012 - Food Hardship Rate Underscores Need to Protect SNAP
New data released Tuesday, August 21, 2012 by the Gallup organization show the food hardship rate for Nevada was 21.5 percent during the first six months of 2012. The Food Bank of Northern Nevada noted this rate shows that far too many Nevada residents continue to report that there were times during t he past 12 months when they did not have enough money to buy the food they or their families needed.
Nationally, the food hardship rate was 18.2 percent during the first six months of 2012. Among states, Mississippi had the highest food hardship rate (24.9 percent) and North Dakota had the lowest (9.6 percent). Nevada has the fifth highest food hardship rate at 21.5 percent.
People across the country continue to report their struggle to afford food in the aftermath of the recession and ongoing unemployment and underemployment. Despite these struggles, some in Congress are trying to make harsh cuts in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The Senate plan for the Farm Bill includes a cut of $4.4 billion over 10 years to the program, a proposal that would trigger sizable reductions (averaging $90/month) in SNAP benefits for an estimated 500,000 households a year. The House Agriculture Committee bill would make these same cuts plus end benefits totally for a minimum of 1.8 million people, cutting the program by $16 billion.
“Food hardship continues to be far too high in this country. The numbers underscore the point that people still continue to struggle, and that cuts some in Congress are proposing to our nation’s nutrition safety net will only worsen a bad situation,” said Cherie Jamason, president and CEO of the Food Bank of Northern Nevada. “These cuts to SNAP will particularly harm seniors, children and working families, taking food away from the poorest and most vulnerable among us. Congress must reject these attempts to make false economies by taking from those who have the least.”
The need for emergency food service continues to rise in northern Nevada. The Food Bank of Northern Nevada has seen a switch from short term emergency food needs to longer term sustaining food needs for families dealing with chronic unemployment and underemployment in the state. Federal food programs are vital to meeting the needs that cannot be filled by food banks alone.
The food hardship question is being asked as part of a survey conducted by Gallup through the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index project. Gallup has been interviewing 1,000 households per day almost every day since January 2, 2008 for this project. Respondents are asked a series of questions on a range of topics, including emotional health, physical health, healthy behavior, work environment and access to basic services.
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