About Hunger

Hunger and Poverty: An Overview

Despite being one of the world’s wealthiest nations 14.3% of America’s population lived in poverty in 2009 — an increase from 13.2% in 2008.

A person is considered in poverty if their income falls below the national poverty level, which is adjusted annually and varies according to household size. For example, the 2011 federal poverty level for a family of four—2 adults with 2 children — is an annul income of no more than $22,350. Eligibility for many government programs is based on the poverty level or percentages of the poverty level.

Mercer County’s poverty rate increased from 8.8% in 2008 to 11.1% in 2009, well above the state’s 9.4% poverty rate. In 2009, nearly 39,500 people in Mercer County lived in poverty.

The level of poverty in the city of Trenton is considerably higher, with 24.1% of its residents living at or below poverty. 35.5 % of children in Trenton live in poverty.

Poverty is the root cause of hunger in a community. Households with limited financial resources must often sacrifice meals to make ends meet. Compared to the national poverty rate of 14.3% in 2009, 14.7% of households were also food insecure in the US. By definition, these food insecure households had difficulty at some time during the year providing enough food for all their members due to a lack of resources.

In Mercer County, it is estimated that there are over 40,000 food insecure people.

CHILD HUNGER

How many children go hungry?
Children represent a disproportionately large percentage of people suffering from poverty and food insecurity. Although New Jersey’s total population is comprised of only 23.7% children, children represent 34.1% of people living in poverty. In addition, 15.4% of all children under 18 are classified as food insecure, amounting to more than 325,000 of our state’s children being at risk for hunger.

49 percent of all SNAP participants in Mercer County are children.

3 out of every 4 children attending the Trenton public schools qualify for free or reduced school meals

What are the effects?
Not only are children the most prone to food insecurity, but research indicates that even mild under-nutrition can be harmful for children. Food insecurity experienced by children puts them at risk for:

• Behavioral problems and difficulty concentrating.
• Developmental impairments that limit their physical, intellectual, and emotional growth.
• Obesity and its harmful effects.
• More stomach aches, headaches, colds, ear infections, and fatigue.

Child hunger endangers the health of the community as a whole.

Child hunger leads to greater health care costs for families and employers.
In addition to becoming sick more often, poorly nourished children are more likely to be hospitalized. These costs are passed along to the community as insurance and tax burdens.
Child hunger is an educational problem.
Children who are hungry do not perform as well other students academically and are more likely to drop out of school, greatly reducing their earning capacity. Not only is this a waste of educational funds, but it helps continue a cycle of poverty and insecurity.
Child hunger is a workforce and job readiness problem.
Many workers who experience hunger as children are not as well prepared physically, mentally, emotionally or socially to perform effectively in the workforce, creating a workforce pool that is less competitive, with lower levels of educational and technical skills.