Breaking Bread & Barriers

Food Insecurity Unveiled

There is a blue banner picturing a map of the United States. On it appears 'Top 10 Hungriest States in the U.S.' There are also statistics on the states representing how hungry they are. Texas is 14%, New Mexico is 16.8%, Kansas is 13.8%, Oklahoma is 15.6%, Arkansa is 15.1%, Louisiana is 15.8%, Mississippi is 15.9%, Kentucky is 14.7%, West Virginia is 15.7%, North Carolina is 13.9%.

Despite America being one of the wealthiest countries, we face one of the highest rates of food insecurity at 13% of our population being food insecure. That is roughly 44 million people who are lacking proper nutrition and dietary needs because they don't have access to affordable meals. (Nova 2023)

Food insecurity isn't an issue faced by a select few people, many in America are struglling with this crisis. According to Feeding America, hunger doesn't effect everyone equally as children, seniors, and people of color face it at much higher rates. Additionally, geographic location is a significant factor when discussing food insecurity. For example, those who reside in the Southern states face the highest rates of food insecurity due to a lack of food sources caused by poverty, unemployment and the cost of living.

In Illinois, 1 in 11 people are facing hunger as well as 1 in 9 children. In order for their food needs to be met, an additional $759 million a year would need to be spent of food assistance programs.