Hunger In America 2010 released
45% Increase in emergency meals in NJ
Hunger in America
According to a report entitled Hunger In America 2010 made public on February 3, 2010, by the Mercer Friends Society, hunger and homelessness are up in New Jersey
Jersey’s Federation of Food Banks, according to the report, provided emergency meals to an estimated 830,200 different people last year, a 45 percent increase over the number reported in the 2006 Hunger in America State Report.
Among programs that existed in 2006, 87 percent of pantries, 72 percent of kitchens, and 55 percent of Jersey shelters reported serving many more clients than the numbers for 2006. In addition, the report stated:
- 42 percent Jersey respondents have children under 18 years old as members of their households
- 34 percent of client households include at least one employed adult; only 4 percent are homeless.
Among all client households served by emergency food programs in Jersey, 80 percent are “food insecure,” according to the U.S. government’s official food security scale.
The report added that 40 percent of clients are counted as having “low” food security and said:
- 49 percent of clients report having to choose between paying for food and paying for utilities or heating fuel.
- 48 percent had to choose between paying for food and paying their rent or mortgage.
- 34 percent had to choose between paying for food and paying for medicine or medical care.
- 33 percent of households in Jersey report having at least one household member in poor health.
- 20 percent of clients had lost jobs within the last year.
- 94 percent of adult clients were satisfied with the quality of the food they received.
- 71 percent of pantries, 69 percent of kitchens, and 30 percent of shelters are run by agencies affiliated with churches, mosques, synagogues, and other religious organizations.
Food banks are by far the single most important source of food for agencies with emergency food providers, accounting for 76 percent of the food distributed by pantries; 53 percent of the food distributed by kitchens, and 45 percent of food distributed by shelters.
Volunteers are key to programs for feeding the hungry, said the report, released by Trenton’s Mercer Friends Society. The report said as many as 92 percent of pantries, 88 percent of kitchens, and 61 percent of Jersey shelters use volunteers.
Many programs rely entirely on volunteers; 69 percent of pantry programs and 52 percent of kitchens have no paid staff at all.
To view the full report click here.
