In the previous year, the county’s rate was 27%, according to the report.
There are 27,000 food insecure children in the county, according to the report.
Across the Washington, D.C. area, 37% of households did not know where their next meal was coming from, according to the report. That is an increase of 5 percentage points from the previous fiscal year.
In the greater D.C. area, 66% of residents pointed to higher food costs as a major factor affecting their finances.
The majority of people in the area who were food insecure were Black and have children in their household.
A Montgomery County woman with three children was interviewed about her struggles in the report.
The food bank partnered with the social research organization NORC at the University of Chicago to conduct a general population survey about food insecurity and inequity in the region.
According to the 2023 Montgomery County Strategic Plan to End Childhood Hunger, Feeding America estimated that 13.9% of all children in the county have faced food insecurity during the past five years.
In 2021, there were approximately 52,000 children living in households in Montgomery County living below the federal poverty level.
The Capital Area Food Bank's new #HungerReport2024 shows a dramatic rise in food insecurity across the Washington region over the last year.
37% of households – nearly 1.5M people – struggled to access enough food last year: https://t.co/G3sS0Hvlh3
Among the findings … (1/5) pic.twitter.com/EsTP6DVwkp
— Capital Area Food Bank (@foodbankmetrodc) September 12, 2024
