11 Facts About Hunger in the United States

Photo:  DoSomething.org, Feed-America

1. In 2010, 17.2 million households, (1 in 7) were food insecure, the highest number ever recorded in the U.S.
2. More than 16 million (almost 1 in 5) American children are at risk of hunger.
3. Households with children experience food insecurity at almost double the rate of households without children.
4. Nearly 1 in 5 children in the U.S. is served by Feeding America, the nation’s largest food bank.
5. Five states or districts with the highest rate of food insecure children are Arizona, Arkansas, Oregon, Texas and Washington, D.C.
6. America’s Second Harvest annually provides food to over 23 million people. That is more than the population of the state of Texas.
7. The USDA recently found that about 96 billion pounds of food available for human consumption in the United States were thrown away by retailers, restaurants, farmers and households over the course of one year.
8. Hungry adults miss more work and consume more health care than those who don’t go hungry.
9. Kids who experience hunger are more likely to suffer from anxiety, depression, behavior problems, and other illnesses.
10. The total cost of hunger to American society is said to be about $90 billion a year.
11. In contrast, it would only cost about $10 billion to $12 billion a year to virtually end hunger in our nation.

Source:  DoSomething.org