- By Ann M. Colt
- Around Town
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Ithaca - More than 9,000 area residents including nearly 2,250 children and 1,350 seniors receive emergency food assistance each week from the Food Bank of the Southern Tier, a member of America's Second Harvest. Recently, the Food Bank of the Southern Tier, joined by United Way of Tompkins County, reported results from the nation’s largest and most comprehensive study on hunger. Both organizations acknowledged that the findings are disturbing. Over 160 food banks across the nation participated in Hunger in America 2006, completing 52,000 face-to-face interviews with people seeking emergency food assistance and more than 30,000 agency surveys, making it the largest, most-comprehensive study ever conducted on domestic hunger. It is difficult for many to believe that hunger exists. “Tompkins County is a typical example of the nature of our service area,” said Natasha R. Thompson, Director of Agency & Warehouse Operations at the Food Bank and a resident of Ithaca. “While there is no doubt a great need in the cities, during the Hunger Study we saw extreme cases of hunger and poverty in the rural areas, most of it hidden from view.”
The study found that about 67% of the clients seeking emergency food assistance in the Southern Tier are living below the federal poverty line, and nearly 33% have at least one adult working in their household. The average monthly household income among emergency food program clients is $960 compared to a national average of $5,000 per month. Fewer than 5% of households report Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) or public assistance as their main source of income.
Many of the clients who participated in face-to-face interviews for Hunger in America 2006 reported having to make choices between food and everyday necessities. More than 35% of the clients served report having to choose between paying for utilities or heating fuel and food; 25% had to choose between paying for rent or a mortgage and food; 17% percent report having to choose between paying for medical bills and food.
Over one third of client households include at least one child under the age of 18. Results indicate that households with children are more likely to experience hunger and/or food insecurity. Four out of five households with children are food insecure and nearly one third are experiencing hunger. While participation in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs remains steady at 65% and 58% respectively, local participation in the Summer Food Service Program is well below the national average at 7.5%.
These numbers highlight the difficult challenges many local households face on a daily basis. “Although there are no quick fixes, the efforts by the Food Bank and others including United Way are making a difference,” stated James Brown, President of United Way of Tompkins County.
For the last four years, United Way of Tompkins County has been committed to actively addressing hunger and food insecurity issues in the county. In 2005, $90,000 was earmarked to help individuals and families who struggle with food insecure issues. United Way’s Board of Directors has approved more than $20,000 to the Food Bank of the Southern Tier for use in purchasing food, promoting food card use, and co-sponsoring the four Community Food Distributions held in Tompkins County that have provided over 20 tons of food. Over the past three years through the “SOUPer” Day of Caring Food Drives, more than 15.5 tons of food and personal care items were distributed to local food pantries and community organizations in Tompkins County. Also, annually United Way works with the National Association of Letter Carriers, locally with Merged Branch 333, for the largest food drive conducted across the nation, held on the second Saturday in May. All donations collected locally stay within Tompkins County.
The Food Bank also surveyed its network of 205 community-based hunger relief agencies that provide food directly to individuals in need including soup kitchens, pantries and emergency shelters. In the Southern Tier, more than 70% of food pantries and 30% soup kitchens are run completely by volunteers. The Food Bank of the Southern Tier provides food and grocery products to 29 community-based organizations in Tompkins County including fourteen food pantries and two community meal sites. In 2005, the Food Bank distributed over 1 million pounds of food to Tompkins County agencies who in turn fulfilled over 271,000 requests for food.
The Food Bank plans to use the Hunger Study results to increase community awareness about the issue of hunger and develop innovative strategies to address its root causes. In Tompkins County, ongoing partnerships with organizations such as the United Way, Catholic Charities, and Cornell Cooperative Extension are crucial to ensuring that all our communities are hunger free.
For a summary of the local Hunger in America 2006 Study, visit the Food Bank’s website at www.foodbankst.org.
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