Hunger is not a new problem to society; however, some do not realize the extent to which some people are affected by it. In the United States, hunger is measured in terms of a household's access to food - a concept called food security. A household that does not have sufficient access to food experiences food insecurity.

Who experiences food insecurity?

According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation's study KIDS COUNT (2007), the following statistics provide some understanding:

·        15% of Pennsylvanians are low-income working families with children

·        18% of Pennsylvania children live in poverty

·        65% of Pennsylvania children age 6 to 12 have all available parents in the labor force

·        64% of Pennsylvania children live in households where housing costs exceed 30% of income (leaving little for food)

One of the most devastating facts about hunger is that hunger perpetuates the cycle of poverty. Children who grow up in hungry households are more likely to under-perform in school, which often leads to another generation of poverty.

Hunger is not only a Global Issue…

·       In the United States in 2005,  35 million people reported being food insecure at some time during the last calendar year meaning that they do not have “ready availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods and the assured ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways.”

    Hunger Report 2008, Bread for the World Institute, Washington, DC

·      According to Household Food Security in the United States, more than 35 million Americans, including 12 million children, are living in low food secure households.

      United States Department of Agriculture, November, 2006

Hunger is a Local Issue…and it affects people in Central Pennsylvania

• CHANNELS Food Rescue program has delivered over 4 million pounds of perishable food to people in need in Central Pennsylvania since 1999.

• Our goal is END Hunger!