The Capital Area Food Bank released its 2023 Hunger Report for the region on Tuesday, and the number of people suffering from food insecurity has remained relatively flat compared to last year.
The report found 32% of people in the Greater Washington region are struggling to access enough food. That is more than 1.2 million people. Last year the figure was 33%, so statistically there has not been much change. The hunger rate in Montgomery County is 27%.
The report cited several reasons for the flat rate in tackling hunger. It found inflation and the rollback of expanded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits had a significant impact on food insecure residents.
Survey Information
This is the fourth year the Capital Area Food Bank has conducted a hunger survey. Researchers collected information between May 2022 and April 2023.
“While signs of improvement seem to be everywhere in our economy over the past twelve months, there’s a far different story unfolding for over a million of our neighbors,” said Radha Muthiah, president and CEO of the Capital Area Food Bank.
“This year’s Hunger Report makes clear that food insecurity and economic inequity are still enormous problems in our area. Every sector in our region has a role to play in addressing this ongoing crisis, both in the short and longer term, to create more opportunity and brighter futures for our community,” Muthiah said.
Pandemic’s Toll
The pandemic took a major toll on households in the region. About half of residents surveyed said they suffered financially during the Covid-19 outbreak. The new report found only 12% of those households say they have bounced back from the pandemic. That is helping to drive up the problem of food insecurity.
The report also found food insecurity is higher in households of color and households with children. Approximately half of black and Hispanic respondents said they were dealing with hunger while only 14% of white people said they were food insecure.
Sixty percent of households with children were more likely to experience food insecurity than households without children.
Food insecurity is affecting 1 in 5 households where the combined income is $120,000 a year. The report says those numbers reflect families are facing high costs of living which includes housing and food.
The Hunger Report made a series of recommendations to help tackle the problem of food insecurity.
Some of them include increasing access to emergency food assistance programs, and coming up with integrated ways to address poverty.
Access To Report
The report is available online. The link is: https://hunger-report.capitalareafoodbank.org/report-2023/
