- 25 percent of households receiving emergency food had at least one working member.
- 33 percent of those receiving emergency food are children.
- Households with children are the largest group served. Children who are hungry have more difficulty learning in school and have a higher risk for health problems later in life.
- Most adult emergency food recipients are looking for work, working, retired or disabled.
- Agencies continue to see new faces … people seeking help for the first time in their lives.
The Need
- Distribution of emergency food boxes throughout the OFB Network increased 2 percent, from 897,000 in 2007-08 to 917,000 in 2009-10 — an increase of 20,000 additional emergency food boxes.
- Since the beginning of the recession, emergency food box distribution increased a total of 17 percent. That means the network distributed 130,000 more food boxes than it did two years ago.
- A typical emergency food box provides a three- to five-day supply of groceries. Most food pantries serve a specific geographic area and limit the number of times a family can receive help. Most households seek emergency food boxes less than four times a year.
