Food Assistance Needs Outpace Supplies

December 17, 1999

Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman says people forced to rely on food from charities is growing so rapidly that the charities have had to turn people away because of a short food supply. Food banks, food pantries and other feeding groups face an increasing number of people in need.

The conclusions come from a survey of 26 cities by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. The survey finds that "more Americans are in need of food assistance and have not been getting it," says Glickman. "It's that simple and that critical."

In an address to the mayors' conference Glickman said, "Even more startling is the fact that the number of people forced to rely on food from charities is growing so rapidly that these groups have had to turn people away because they are out of food."

A report on food stamp participation rates shows that more than one-third of all people eligible for food stamps have not been taking advantage of the program and "frankly we're not sure why," adds Glickman. One reason may be that people with low-wage jobs "confuse food stamps with other government assistance and therefore think they are not eligible." Food stamp participation, says Glickman, has been declining three times the rate of poverty, "and it's clear people are going without when they don't have to."

USDA is promoting new ways for gleaning and food recovery, he adds, that involve both public and private interests. He also notes Congress restored food stamps to many legal immigrants who had been denied assistance.

The report on food stamp participation rates shows that participation declined by 9 million or 33% from a peak in March 1994 to the end of fiscal 1998. During the same period, the number of people participating in food assistance program declined by more than 5 million or 36%.

"It is important to determine whether the Food Stamp Program continues to reach its target population and, if not, what this implies about functioning of the safety net," the report says.

The report is available on the Internet at http://www.fns.usda.gov/oane/menu/published/fsp/FILES/trend97sum.htm.