Hunger in America 2006
Consolidated Media Market of the
Foodbank of Virginia Peninsula
Hunger Study Highlights
Hunger in America 2006, conducted by America’s Second Harvest – The Nation’s Food Bank Network (A2H), the largest charitable hunger-relief organization in the United States, is the most extensive and ambitious study of hunger in America to date. The study involved more than 52,000 face-to-face interviews with clients who sought emergency help through the A2H Network of more than 200 food banks and their member agencies.
The Hunger in America 2006 study was designed to provide a comprehensive profile of the extent and nature of hunger and food insecurity as experienced by people who access A2H’s national network of charitable feeding agencies. Information was collected on clients’ sociodemographic characteristics, including income and employment, benefits from food stamp and other federal or private programs, frequency of visits to emergency feeding sites, and satisfaction with local access to emergency food assistance. Information obtained from provider agencies included size of programs, services provided, sources of food, and adequacy of food supply.
The study had the following primary objectives:
• To describe the national demographic characteristics, income levels, food stamp utilization, food security status, and service needs of low-income clients who access emergency food assistance from the A2H network at the national level
• To describe the demographic profiles of clients of local agencies and to examine the ability of local agencies to meet the food security needs of their clients
• To compare data, where possible, between the 2001 and 2005 A2H research studies, to identify trends in emergency food assistance demands, and to relate observed trends to welfare policies.
• To compare local level and national-level data on the characteristics of agencies describing the charitable response to hunger throughout the nation.
FOODBANK OF SOUTHEASTERN VIRGINIA &
THE FOODBANK OF THE VIRGINIA PENINSULA
HIGHLIGHTS OF FINDINGS
The Hunger in America 2006 report presents information on the clients and agencies served by the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia (FSEVA) and the Foodbank of the Virginia Peninsula (FVP). The study, as it pertains to FSEVA and FVP collectively, focuses primarily on emergency food providers and their clients who are supplied with food by food banks in the A2H network. Emergency food providers are defined to include food pantries, soup kitchens, and emergency shelters serving short-term residents. It should be recognized that many other types of provider organizations served by food banks are, for the most part, not described in this study. These providers who are not covered included such services as congregate meals for seniors, day care facilities, and after-school programs.
Key findings are summarized below:
Agencies Served by Consolidated Media Market of FSEVA and FVP
• Study reports that FSEVA and FVP collectively serve 819 agencies in its service area.
Clarification: The above figure does not include providers not covered in the study such as day care facilities, subsidized day care providers and after-school programs such as Kids Cafes.
Number of People Receiving Emergency Food from FSEVA and FVP
• The A2H System served by FSEVA and FVP provides food for an estimated 245,400 different people annually.
• Approximately 53,700 different people receive assistance in any given week.
Key Characteristics of People who Receive Emergency Food Assistance from FSEVA and FVP
• 32 percent of the members of households served by FSEVA and FVP are children under 18 years old. (Table 5.3.2)
Clarification: The 32 percent figure does not take into account children served in day care
centers and subsidized day care providers in the consolidated media market.
• 18 percent of the members of households are elderly. (Table 5.3.2)
• below the official federal poverty level. (Table 5.8.2.1)
• 4 percent are homeless. (Table 5.9.1.1)
Number of Clients Food Insecure or Experiencing Hunger
About 26 percent of clients are non-Hispanic white, 72 percent are non-Hispanic black, 1 percent are Hispanic, and the rest are from other racial or ethnic groups. (Table 5.6.1)
• 33 percent of households include at least one employed adult. (Table 5.7.1)
• 64 percent have incomes
• Among all client households served by emergency food programs of FSEVA and FVP, 70 percent are food insecure. (Table 6.1.1)
• 25 percent of the clients are experiencing hunger. (Table 6.1.1)
• Among households with children, 85 percent are food insecure and 40 percent are experiencing hunger. (Table 6.1.1) 
Number of Clients Having to Choose Between Food and Other Necessities
• 41 percent of clients served by FSEVA and FVP report having to choose between paying for food and paying for utilities or heating fuel. (Table 6.5.1)
• 35 percent had to choose between paying for food and paying their rent or mortgage. (Table 6.5.1)
• 33 percent had to choose between paying for food and paying for medicine or medical care. (Table 6.5.1)
Clients Who Receive Assistance from Government
•36 percent of client households served by FSEVA and FVP are receiving food stamp program benefits (Table 7.1.1); however, it is likely that many more are eligible. (Table 7.3.2)
• Among households with school-aged children, 69 percent and 63 percent respectively, participate in the federal school lunch and school breakfast programs. (Table 7.4.1) 
Clients in Poor Health
• 30 percent of households served by FSEVA and FVP report having at least one household member in poor health (Table 8.1.1)
Satisfaction Levels
• 92 percent of adult clients said they were either “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” with the amount of food they received from their A2H provider; 94% were satisfied with the quality of the food they received (Table 9.2.1).
Types of Organizations Operating Emergency Food Programs of FSEVA and FVP
• 86 percent of pantries, 78 percent of kitchens, and 72 percent of shelters are run by faith-based agencies affiliated with churches, mosques, synagogues, and other religious organizations (Table 10.6.1).
• At the agency level, 84 percent of agencies with at least one pantry, kitchen, or shelter and 63 percent of all agencies including those only with other types of programs are faith-based. (Table 10.6.1)
Changes in Need for Agency Services
• 60 percent of pantries, 61 percent of kitchens, and 70 percent of shelters of FSEVA and FVP reported that there had been an increase since 2001 in the number of clients who come to their emergency food program sites. (Table 10.8.1)
Agency’s Sources for Food
• Food banks are by far the single most important source of food for the agencies, accounting for 73 percent of the food used by pantries, 48 percent of kitchens’ food, and 40 percent of shelters’ food. (Table 13.1.1)
• Other important sources of food include religious organizations, government, and direct purchases from wholesalers and retailers. (Table 13.1.1)
• 55 percent of pantries, 32 percent of kitchens, and 13 percent of shelters of FSEVA and FVP receive food from government commodity programs. (Table 13.1.1)
Importance of Volunteers
• For FSEVA and FVP, 88 percent of pantries, 95 percent of kitchens, and 76 percent of shelters use volunteers. (Table 13.2.1)
• Many programs rely entirely on volunteers; 77 percent of pantry programs and 49 percent of kitchens have no paid staff at all. (Table 13.2.1)
National Comparisons
Below are the collective FSEVA and FVP findings as compared to national figures:
FSEVA/FVP National
FSEVA and FVP serve 245,400 different people annually 25 Million
53,700 different people per week 4 Million
About 26 percent White 39 percent
About 72 percent Black 38 percent
1 percent Hispanic
17 percent
33 percent households include one employed adult
36 percent
64 percent below official poverty level
70 percent
4 percent are homeless 12 percent
70 percent households food insecure
25 percent clients are experiencing hunger
33 percent
41 percent choose between food and utilities
40 percent
35 percent choose between food and housing
35 percent
33 percent choose between food and medicine
32 percent
36 percent households receive Food Stamps
35 percent
69 / 63 percent lunch/breakfast programs
62 / 51 percent
86 percent pantries/78 percent kitchens/72 percent
shelters are faith-based 75 / 65 / 45 percent
60 percent pantries/61 percent kitchens/70 percent
shelters increased since 2001
65 / 61/ 62 percent
73 percent pantries/48 percent kitchens/
40 percent shelters receive food from FSEVA and
FVP 74 / 49 / 42 percent
FSEVA/FVP National
55 percent pantries/32 percent kitchens/13 percent shelters receive food from government commodities
70 / 49 / 46 percent
88 percent pantries/95 percent kitchens/76 percent shelters use volunteers
90 / 86 / 71 percent
77 percent pantries/49 percent kitchens are entirely volunteer
65 / 70 percent
