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More and more of Tampa Bay’s families are finding themselves hungry. This economic downturn has created a devastating environment for many people facing now foreclosure, unemployment, business closings.
You can help by becoming a part of a campaign to fight hunger right in your own neighborhood.
In response to this immediate crisis, United Way of Tampa Bay has convened leading food banks and agencies throughout Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties, including: RCS, St. Petersburg Free Clinic, Daystar Life Center, America’s Second Harvest of Tampa Bay, Metropolitan Ministries, Beth-El Farmworker Ministry, and United Food Bank of Plant City. This regional coalition is called STOP HOMETOWN HUNGER.
United Way of Tampa Bay invites you to LIVE UNITED by joining the efforts of this coalition.. This is done in three ways:
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GIVE – donate canned and boxed food or make a cash contribution
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ADVOCATE – spread the word by informing your family & friends
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VOLUNTEER – work at area food banks and pantries to help distribute food
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Background:
Since September 2008, 16% to 36% of all recipients at local food banks have been first-time food recipients, from families who never envisioned they would need help.
Food banks throughout Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties are facing an ever-growing demand for food items by unemployed and underemployed families. Many food banks are running out of food throughout each week as demand increases. And projections show the need will be even greater in the months ahead as the economy falters.
STOP HOMETOWN HUNGER’s goal is to stimulate a 50% increase in non-perishable food items at these food banks and service providers during 2009 – while increasing public awareness of the growing crisis of hunger throughout Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties. Your help is needed.
Hunger in Tampa Bay
America’s Second Harvest of Tampa Bay estimates that 11% of residents in our area are “food insecure,” meaning that they lack access to adequate amounts of nutritious food.
From September 2007 to September 2008, Religious Community Services (RCS) Food Bank experienced a 23% increase in the average number of people per day needing food.
In total, RCS helped 5,995 people with emergency food in September 2008, including 2,066 children and 174 babies. 954 were first-time food recipients, up from 614 people in September 2007.
Metropolitan Ministries is experiencing a 20% increase in requests for food and is averaging more than 150 visits to its Outreach Center each day.
Metropolitan Ministries anticipates a significant increase in registrations for the Holiday Center and will host 24,000 family visits during the months of November and December.
The St. Petersburg Free Clinic reports that the number of families served by its food pantries has increased by 45% in the last year (5,732 families served in August 2008 compared with 3,947 in August 2007).
The Free Clinic Food Bank also has a waiting list of 18 local organizations (primarily churches) operating food pantries who want to join the more than 60 existing partner agencies working to provide food.
Beth-El Mission not only experienced an increase in the number of families served (up 21% since last September), but a sharp increase in the demand for baby food and formula, as well.
Hunger - The National Context
On November 17, 2008, The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service released its annual study measuring food security in the United States, Household Food Security in the United States, 2007. This report is based on data from the December 2007 food security survey which provides the most recent statistics on the food security of U.S. households.
The report found that in 2007:
36.2 million Americans lived in food insecure households (23.795 million adults and 12.435 million children), an increase from 35.5 million Americans in 2006.
11.1% of households (13 million households) were food insecure, a statistically insignificant increase from 10.9% in 2006;
4.1% of households (4.7 million households) experienced very low food security, a small increase from 4.0% in 2006;
15.8 % of households with children reported food insecurity – nearly double the 8.7% rate for those without children.
6.5% of households with seniors were food insecure, a statistically significant increase from 6% in 2006.
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