Today is National Hunger Day — a day to remember that there are millions of low-income households across America that will not have enough to eat and may be forced to skip meals. Here are five facts on hunger and poverty to show the scale of the problem.
- In 2020, over 38 million Americans were food insecure, including more than 12 million children. Households with single parents or children under the age of six have a higher prevalence of food insecurity.
- Children were the most likely group to face hunger but even young adults, such as college students, are also vulnerable to food insecurity.
- Black and Hispanic families have higher rates of food insecurity, as compared to other households.
- Rural communities fare worse on hunger than urban ones, especially in households with young children.
- Despite high unemployment and a public health crisis, the USDA reported that the overall rate of 10.5% of food insecure households in 2019 was unchanged in 2020. The historic federal aid provided to struggling families during the pandemic worked at curbing what many expected to be an unprecedented modern-day hunger crisis.
This National Hunger Day, let’s work to ensure a country where we eradicate hunger once and for all. The pandemic has shown that when you provide more food assistance and direct aid for families, hunger goes down. Policymakers have the tools at their disposal to reduce or eliminate hunger in our country.
