AFN Audit (PDF)Hunger in America 2010
In 2009, the Arkansas Foodbank Network participated in a landmark hunger study in conjunction with Feeding America, the nation's network of food banks and the largest domestic hunger relief organization. From March through June, Foodbank staff members conducted face-to-face interviews with 445 people seeking emergency food at food pantries, soup kitchens and other emergency feeding programs, as well as interviews with 239 agencies that provide food assistance. The results were used to paint a picture of hunger on a national scale. The local and national results are presented below.
Key Findings of the Arkansas Foodbank Network's Hunger in America 2010 Local Report
- Through its network of 400 member food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters and other agencies in 33 counties in central and southern Arkansas, the Arkansas Foodbank Network serves 166,200 different individuals every year - or 23,000 Arkansans per week
- The number of Arkansans served each year the Foodbank and its agencies has increased 11% since Hunger in America 2006
- 35% of the members of households served by the Arkansas Foodbank Network are children under 18 years old
- 8% of the members of households served are elderly
- 27% of the households served include one or more working adults, an increase from 23% in 2006
- 78% of those served live on incomes below the Federal Poverty Level
- 52% of clients served by the Arkansas Foodbank Network report having to choose between paying for food and paying for utilities or heating fuel
- 39% had to choose between paying for food and paying their rent or mortgage
- 21% of clients served report that that they or someone in their household do not have access to health insurance.
- 60% of clients report that they or someone in their household have an unpaid medical or hospital bills.
- 27% of seniors served by the Arkansas Foodbank Network face very low food security - or hunger.
- 41% of client households served by the Arkansas Foodbank Network receive SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps) benefits
- Read the full local report for the Arkansas Foodbank Network
The Good News
- According to responses from its agencies, the Arkansas Foodbank Network is the single most important source of food for agencies with emergency food providers, accounting for 78% of the food distributed by pantries, an increase of 6% from the Hunger in America 2006 report.
- The local results of Hunger in America 2010 reveal that volunteers are the backbone of our network. Many programs rely entirely on volunteers; 80% of food pantries and 34% of soup kitchens have no paid staff at all.
- In 2009, the Arkansas Foodbank Network distributed 11.6 million pounds to the member agencies featured in Hunger in America 2010, an increase of 26% over 2008. Additionally, the Foodbank distributed 2.6 million pounds to the state's other five Feeding America food banks and 1.2 million pounds of food to its Redistribution Organizations.
- The Arkansas Foodbank Network is the largest food bank in the state, and is able to touch the lives of Arkansans statewide through its member agencies and Redistribution Organizations in central and southern Arkansas, and by serving as a "mixing center" for the state's other five food banks - ensuring that these food banks receive a nutritious and diverse mix of product
National Findings of Hunger in America 2010
- 37 million people nationwide (14.5 million households), including 13.9 million children, receive emergency food each year through a national network of food banks and the agencies they serve
- 1 in 8 Americans receives emergency food assistance
- Hunger in America 2010 is the first research study to capture the significant connection between the recent economic downturn and an increased need for emergency food assistance. The number of children and adults in need of food as a result of experiencing food insecurity has significantly increased
- More than one in three client households are experiencing very low food security-or hunger-a 54 percent increase in the number of households compared to four years ago
- Hunger in America 2010 collected quantitative and qualitative feedback from 61,000 face-to-face in-depth interviews with people seeking emergency food assistance and more than 37,000 agency surveys, making this study the largest, most-comprehensive ever conducted on domestic hunger
- Read the full Hunger in America 2010 report