Hunger saw a dramatic rise in the greater Washington region over the last year.?The Capital Area Food Bank’s new #HungerReport2024 reveals that a staggering 37% of households in our region didn’t know where their next meal was coming from – a 5 percentage point increase from last year's report.
Despite many positive economic headlines, there are enormous numbers of our neighbors experiencing a different reality. The new findings mean that nearly 1.5 million neighbors are experiencing food insecurity.
Some key takeaways from our new Hunger Report:
? Hunger increased throughout our region, with no less than 23% of residents in any county struggling to access enough food. In Prince George's County, MD, a staggering 50% are facing food insecurity.
? The starkest jumps in food insecurity rates were among middle-income households earning $100k-$150k a year. At the median household income level (about $121k), 1 in 3 households are food insecure. This is up from 1 in 5 just last year.
? A college degree isn’t enough to prevent food insecurity—more than half of those facing hunger have some college education or a degree.
? Communities of color continue to be disproportionately impacted, with people of color 2-3x more likely to experience food insecurity than white people in our region.
? Retraction of government benefits, persistent inflation, and ongoing employment challenges are causing increased financial strain, directly affecting households already experiencing food insecurity.
? Addressing these rising rates of food insecurity requires coordinated action across all sectors. Recommended strategies include maintaining and strengthening federal programs that support food insecurity, supporting policies that improve economic hardships holistically, and investing in upskilling the food insecure population.
Visit https://lnkd.in/empQSnkC to read our full Hunger Report and learn more about this year’s findings.
