Who is Hungry in America?
In addition to showing increased requests for aid, Hunger in America 2001 punctures the myth that hunger is only a problem of the inner cities, homeless, or the chronically unemployed. Although we do serve all of these populations, in fact nearly 40% of the households that received assistance from us in 2001 included an adult who was working.

Almost 11% of all the clients served by our network are seniors. The facts about children are equally disturbing. More than nine million children received emergency food assistance this year, which is roughly one million more people than the total population of New York City.

As in 1997, women continue to disproportionately experience hunger, representing nearly two-thirds of adults seeking food assistance. And although many of us picture hunger as a problem of the inner cities, nearly half (47%) of all emergency food recipents served by food banks live in rural or suburban areas of the country.

Everyday many hungry Americans make impossible choices between the essentials of living. Our study found that nearly half (45%) have to choose between paying utilities or buying food. More than 35% choose between buying food and paying their rent or mortgage.

How Do We Respond?
Hunger in America 2001 not only measures the extent to which our fellow Americans are seeking emergency food assistance, but also measures the response to hunger by a nationwide network of charitable hunger-relief agencies and volunteers.