Hunger in U.S. Study Unveiled

November 15, 2001

Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) says a new study on hunger in America and the increases in U.S. unemployment shows that more needs to be done to increase the federal nutrition programs and private donations to non-profit hunger relief charities. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry joined Lugar and Robert Fortney of America's Second Harvest, a nationwide network of food banks, to unveil a report compiled by Second Harvest, titled Hunger in America 2001.

"This report proves what many of us have known for some time: despite our nation's great wealth and power, despite the fact that America's farmers can feed a good share of the entire world, about 31 million Americans don't know, for certain, if they or their families will have enough to eat. Worse yet, nine million of these people are children who have to line up at a soup kitchen or food pantry to get a meal," said Harkin. "The fact that 10% of all families in the most powerful nation in the world don't know where their next meal will come from is simply unacceptable," he added.

"Hunger is a problem that touches all Americans in all geographic areas," Lugar said. "We can and should do more to strengthen the nutrition safety net. In addition to the federal nutrition programs, the Good Samaritan Hunger Relief Tax Incentive Act would encourage increased food donations from small food related businesses such as restaurants and farmers. Under the bill, they would be allowed to deduct from their taxes the fair market value of food donations. I am hopeful that Congress passes this important bipartisan legislation before it leaves this year. Food charities need help and they need it now."

The bill was introduced at the beginning of the year by Lugar and Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and a bipartisan group of senators. Rep. Tony Hall (D-OH) introduced a similar bill in the House, and Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) has included the bill in his economic stimulus package alternative.

According to Second Harvest – the umbrella group of the nation's food banks – 23 million Americans received emergency hunger relief from their food banks this year. This is a 7.5% increase since 1997. The study found that 70% of people served by private emergency hunger-relief agencies are not enrolled in food stamps even though upwards of 75% are income eligible.

The report also showed that this about two-thirds of emergency food recipients were women; almost 40% or 9.3 million were children, 2 million of whom were younger than five years old; and more than one in five were elderly. The study also found that approximately 47% of the poor live in rural or suburban areas. Nearly 40% of households who sought emergency food assistance had at least one working adult.