Food Finders Food Bank announced the release of Map the Meal Gap 2019, the latest report by Feeding America® on food insecurity and the cost of food at both the county and congressional district level. It is the only study that provides food insecurity data at the local level. Map the Meal Gap 2019 reveals that food insecurity exists in every county in Food Finders Food Bank’s service area. It also shows that children are more likely to be food insecure, with the child food insecurity rate at 16.8 percent compared to 12.7 percent for the overall population in North Central Indiana.
“There isn’t a single state or county in America free from child hunger, and it is within our collective power to change that and ensure that today’s children are tomorrow’s leaders,” said Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, chief executive officer of Feeding America. “The Feeding America nationwide network of food banks is investing in our nation’s future by helping to provide over 146 million meals to children every year. Still, Map the Meal Gap highlights that more must be done. Together food banks, corporations, policymakers, donors, volunteers and advocates can solve hunger.”
“I encourage everyone to visit the website, map.feedingamerica.org to find out what hunger looks like in their community and get involved to be part of the solution,” Babineaux-Fontenot continued. “One way is to tell Congress to invest in kids during Child Nutrition Reauthorization legislation and increase access to food for kids during the summer. Your voice matters and we can make a difference.”
Overall food insecurity in North Central Indiana ranges from a low of 9.7% of the population in White County up to 15% in Tippecanoe County.
The analysis also finds that 43.7% of residents of North Central Indiana who are food insecure are likely ineligible for federal nutrition assistance under current program requirements. This means that many households must rely even more on charitable food assistance such as Food Finders Food Bank.
“It is wonderful to think that fewer people are food insecure and that the food and programs provided by Food Finders contributed to this good news,” said Katy Bunder, President/CEO of Food Finders Food Bank. “I hope that no one will think we have solved the hunger problem when we still have 22,200 children living with food insecurity in North Central Indiana. This news tells me we need to continue our work for even greater progress next year.”
Food Finders Food Bank is a member of Feeding America’s hunger-relief network comprised of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs that together provides food assistance to more than 40 million people in the U.S. struggling with hunger. Food Finders Food Bank serves the more than 74,000 people facing hunger in North Central Indiana. In 2018, Food Finders distributed 7.5 million pounds of food through the Mobile Pantry Program, Agency Partner Program, BackPack Program, J.P. Lisack Community Food Pantry, SNAP Outreach Program, Education Program and Resource Coordination Program.
Map the Meal Gap 2019 uses data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and food price data and analysis provided by Nielsen, a global provider of information and insights. The study is supported by The Howard G. Buffett Foundation, Conagra Brands Foundation and Nielsen.
Key local findings:
- In every county, children are at a higher risk of food insecurity compared to the overall population. 16.8 percent are estimated to be food insecure compared to 12.7 percent among the general population.
- The national average food insecurity rate across all counties is 13%, while Tippecanoe County is at 15%.
- In every county in the food bank’s service area, there are at least some food-insecure individuals whose level of income likely prevents them from qualifying for federal nutrition programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and free and reduced-priced school lunch programs. For these food-insecure households, the charitable food assistance network may be the only source of support, underscoring the need to protect and strengthen federal nutrition programs.
The study’s findings underscore the extent of need that remains in communities in North Central Indiana and across the U.S., despite national measures from the USDA that indicate overall improvement.
Dr. Craig Gundersen, Professor of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois, Executive Director of the National Soybean Research Laboratory and a member of Feeding America’s Technical Advisory Group is the lead researcher of Map the Meal Gap 2019.
This is the ninth consecutive year that Feeding America has conducted the Map the Meal Gap study.
The Map the Meal Gap 2019 interactive map allows policymakers, state agencies, corporate partners, food banks and advocates to develop integrated strategies to fight hunger on a community level.
A summary of the findings, an interactive map of the United States, and the full report are available at map.feedingamerica.org.