Recent Posts

More Households Used Food Pantries and Nutrition Programs During Recession (USDA, Amber Waves, December 2010)

Data from the Current Population Survey show that more households sought additional food resources from public and private sources during the recession. Since 2001, the number of households that reported obtaining emergency food from a food pantry has risen, with the largest increase occurring between 2007 and 2009.

The Number of People Receiving Food Assistance Continues to Rise (USDA, Food and Nutrition Service, September 4, 2009)

The monthly number of people receiving SNAP (formerly known as Food Stamps) has risen in almost every month since February 2007, from 26.2 million to 35.1 million in June 2009.   The number of households receiving SNAP has increased from 11.6 million to 15.9 million during the same time period. In just the past year (since June…

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Federal Expenditures for Food Assistance Increased 11% in FY 2008 (USDA Economic Research Service, April 2009)

The Food Assistance Landscape, recently released by the USDA, covers recent trends from the Food and Nutrition Service.  It reports that the 11% increase in expenditures for food assistance programs in fiscal year 2008 was the largest percentage increase in 16 years.  While SNAP accounts for 62% of spending, WIC was the fastest growing food assistance…

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Demand on Food Banks Increases (Feeding America, December 18, 2008)

Feeding America (formerly America’s Second Harvest), a national hunger-relief charity, conducted a local impact survey of 160 food banks in the U.S. in 2008. All of the food banks reported an increase in demand for food over the past year, with estimated increases ranging from 29% to 38%