Food insecurity is when a family lives without consistent access to adequate food due to lack of money and other resources at times during the year. That may mean that the family is struggling to avoid hunger, they are hungry, or at risk of hunger. They may not have enough money to buy food throughout the month or are faced with making trade-offs between basic needs, such as housing, utilities or medical bills, and purchasing nutritional foods.
Then in 2020 came the coronavirus. An analysis by the Brookings Institution conducted earlier this summer found that in late June, 27.5% of households with children were food insecure — meaning some 13.9 million children lived in a household characterized by child food insecurity
With 30 million children in the U.S. dependent on school for one or more of their meals each week, extended school closures and loss of family income mean food insecurity rates will continue to rise.
· 1 out of every 5 children live in food in insecure homes.
· 1 out of every 5 food insecure children are estimated to live in homes that do not qualify for food programs.
· Food insecure children are found in all 50 states and D.C.
· GA is ranked #27 with 405,380 food insecure children (16.2%)
· 86% of counties with high child food insecurity are rural
For more information:
Child Food Insecurity -Map the Meal Gap 2020
