Advocates, community members to address solutions at Hunger Free Colorado Summit, Sept. 8
DENVER (Sept. 3, 2014) – One in seven Coloradans and Americans were unsure of when or where they would get their next meal at times during 2013, according to new data released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service in its annual report on food insecurity.
The USDA report, Household Food Security in the United States in 2013, shows that 49 million Americans, including 16 million children across the nation, struggled to put food on the table. In Colorado, the rate of food insecurity was 13.9 percent last year, matching the three-year average from 2011 to 2013 but still significantly higher than the 9.7-percent average from 2001 to 2003 prior to the Great Recession.
One in five American households with children (19.5 percent) reported food insecurity, and more than three in five (62 percent) food-insecure households reported receiving assistance from one or more of the major federal nutrition programs during the month prior to the 2013 survey. Those programs include food stamps, federally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; the National School Lunch Program, which provide access to free and reduced-price school meals; and WIC, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants and Children.
“This report underscores the importance of federal nutrition programs in helping individuals get back on their feet and supporting families who struggle due to a health issue, job loss or minimum-wage job,” said Kathy Underhill, executive director for Hunger Free Colorado, the state’s leading anti-hunger advocacy organization. “We need to invest in our state and people, and we can do that by making hunger a priority and strengthening vital programs that fuel better, healthier lives and stronger communities.”
To combat such food insecurity statistics, 200 anti-hunger advocates and community members will gather at the Arvada Center on Sept. 8 for the fourth annual Hunger Free Colorado Summit. Attendees will discuss ideas and solutions that can connect more Coloradans to food resources through systemic, policy and social change.
“Our state has made significant progress in breaking down barriers to food access, but there’s still more work to be done and collaboration is key,” said Underhill. “By fostering more collaboration, sharing best practices and exploring innovative approaches, we can move closer to ensuring no Coloradan goes hungry.”
Learn more about the issue of hunger and ways to take action at HungerFreeColorado.org.
Media Contact: Michelle Ray, (720) 432-0255