How many are hungry

Hunger has no boundaries

Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap study shows that hunger exists in every county in our nation. In Kansas and Missouri, there are hungry people living in sparsely-populated rural counties, suburban communities and urban centers.

Food insecurity means that a person or household may have food today, but does not know if there will be food tomorrow or enough food for everyone in the household.

Before the COVID-19 Pandemic began, food insecurity was at the lowest point seen since before the Great Recession. The current crisis is expected to reverse the improvements that have occurred over the last decade as millions of people are newly at risk of experiencing food insecurity, alongside those who were experiencing food insecurity before COVID-19.
 

In Harvesters’ Service Area Pre-Coronavirus: 

• 303,820 people were food insecure and missing an estimated 51.4 million meals annually.
• 11.8 percent of people in our region, or one in eight, was food insecure.
• 45.1 percent of those individuals at risk of hunger in Harvesters’ region were likely eligible for federal nutrition programs such as SNAP (food stamps), WIC or free and reduced-price school meals.

Children are often among those most in need of food. In Harvesters’ service area:
• 93,090 children were food insecure.
• 15 percent of children under age 18 in our region, or one in seven, was food insecure.

Learn more about Map the Meal Gap 2020 here. Nationwide information can be found through the interactive map below.

Check out the Map the Meal Gap interactive map above and learn more about household and child food insecurity in your community.

Projected Impact of Coronavirus on Food Insecurity in Harvesters' Service Area in 2020:

• 387,210 people may be food insecure due to COVID-19.
• That is 15 percent, or 1 in 7 people in our region.

For children, 131,620 may be food insecure due to COVID-19. That's 21.2 percent of children under age 18 in our region, or one in five children.

Check out the interactive COVID-19 Impact Map on Food Insecurity from Feeding America pictured below.
























 

Who is Hungry (See results of latest Hunger in America study)
The Impact of Hunger

Other Resources:
Missouri Hunger Atlas provides county-level data about food insecurity in Missouri. 
Household Food Security in the United States 2019, Economic Research Service, USDA.
Income and Poverty in the United States 2018, issued 2019, US Census Bureau.
Feeding America is the nation’s largest domestic hunger relief charity. Harvesters is a member of Feeding America’s network of more than 200 food banks.
Food Research Action Center (FRAC)  is a national nonprofit organization focused on the issue of hunger.
• FRAC Kansas Profile of Hunger, Poverty and Federal Nutrition Programs
• FRAC Missouri Profile of Hunger, Poverty and Federal Nutrition Programs