Hunger in NY

Part of the mission of the Food bank Association is to insure that both the public and private sectors are aware of the problem of hunger in New York State. By compiling and disseminating information on hunger we are making our elected officials, possible donors, and the public at-large aware of the needs of the hungry. We are aided in our efforts by our national affiliate, America's Second Harvest:The Nation's Food Bank Network and our Board of Directors, representing the eight New York State food banks. Below are some helpful reports detailing the issue of hunger.

Hunger in New York State, 2006

In 2005, America's Second Harvest, The Nation's Food Bank Network collaborated with Food Banks throughout the United States to conduct a study of emergency food programs and the people they serve. This national effort collected data from more than 52,000 clients and 30,000 agencies serving the hungry. The extensive nature of this study makes this study the most comprehensive national research collaboration on hunger in America.

In New York State, the America's Second Harvest members joined together to undertake the state component of the research, with each organization assuming responsibility for data collection in its geographic service area. Drawing upon the state and national findings, as analyzed by Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., the ten Food Banks and Food Rescue Organizations in New York State collaborated to create this study, Hunger in America 2006: the New York State Report.

Anti-Hunger Policy Platform for New York State and City 2007

Released in September 2006, this platform was developed by a collective of leading city and state anti-hunger organizations determined to eliminate hunger and ensure that all New Yorkers have access to affordable, nutritious food. Expressing a unified voice on hunger policy, it addresses specific federal, state and city hunger-related policies and funding.

Noting that close to one in five New Yorkers is living below the federal poverty level, and more than 1.2 million New Yorkers rely on emergency food, the platform's proposals are designed to:

• In the near-term, address more than five years of cuts in government funding for emergency food services, by securing multi-year increases in city, state and federal emergency food funding;
• Address obstacles to full participation of eligible New Yorkers in government nutrition programs, such as the federal Food Stamp Program, by streamlining the processes of, enhancing coordination among and supporting increased access to government nutrition programs to maximize enrollment;
• In the long-term, address the lack of permanent and local access to affordable, nutritious food in low-income communities with new City and State initiatives to expand and fund farmers markets and local grocery stores;
• To ensure coordination of all services and policy relating to food, hunger and nutrition issues by creating City and State Offices of Food, Hunger and Nutrition Policy.

The full study can be accessed here: Anti-Hunger Policy Platform for New York State and City 2007

Support for increased State Funding for Food Banks (Association testimony before Legislative Fiscal Committees)

Last year the food banks conducted extensive research into the level of state funding under the New York State Department of Health's Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program (HPNAP). During 2002, HPNAP funding reached a high of $24.8 million, but it was cut by $2 million the following year thus reducing it to a level of $22.8 million. And there it has remained ever since. In other words, New York State's main source of hunger prevention funding has not only been flat funded at $22.8 million, it has been funded at this extremely low level for years. In 2007 the Governor Spitzer's budget included a $5.15 million dollar increase, reversing this trend. Read full testimony.

NYC Hunger Experience 2006

According to the Food Bank For New York City's new NYC Hunger Experience 2006 report, since 2003 (the earliest year data is available) the number of city residents who experienced difficulty affording needed food in the past year increased steadily from approximately two million in 2003, to almost three million in 2006. That is an increase of 48 percent.

The data also shows an increasing number of middle-income New Yorkers joining the ranks of those struggling to put food on the table. Among residents with annual household incomes between $25,000 and $49,999, the figure has risen from 21 percent in 2003 to 39 percent in 2006, an increase of 86 percent. In addition, residents in the middle income categories account for an increasingly larger share of the total number of New Yorkers experiencing difficulty affording food.

These findings suggest that the increased number of New Yorkers experiencing difficulty affording food is driven by larger numbers of middle income residents having difficulty. These increases in difficulty affording food are not unexpected, given that the value of New York City's real median wage in 2006 remained below that of 2002 while the cost of food at home in the New York metro area increased more than 10 percent from 2003 to 2006.

In keeping with the finding that more middle income New Yorkers are having difficulty putting food on the table, the results also indicate fewer New Yorkers would have savings to fall back on if faced with the loss of household income. The number of residents who would not be able to afford food immediately after the loss of their household income has increased since 2003 by 24 percent, from approximately 1.3 million to approximately 1.7 million people in 2006.

Full text of the NYC Hunger Experience 2006.

Feeding the Hungry - Statistical Information from the Hunger Study

In New York State, there are approximately 2.1 million people accessing Emergency Food Programs (EFP) every year and 500,000 turning to EFP for assistance weekly.

Although findings reveal that hunger is a widespread problem that does not discriminate, the population relying on the emergency food system is largely comprised of children, women, people of color, people with disabilities and the working poor, most of whom live at or below the federal poverty line.

Within EFP client households, more than one-half are non-elderly adults (59 percent New York State; 54 percent U.S.) and approximately one in every ten is elderly (11 percent New York State; 10 percent U.S.). In addition, approximately one-third of household members are children (30 percent New York State; 36 percent U.S.) representing 630,000 children in New York State and nine million children in the U.S. who rely on emergency food.

The gender composition of EFP client households suggests that women disproportionately bear the burden of ensuring that their household does not go hungry. Approximately one-half of all EFP client household members are women, yet a larger number of women visit EFPs to receive or pick up food. For example, 51 percent of EFP client household members in New York State and 52 percent in the U.S. are women. In contrast, of clients who visit EFPs, women comprise 58 percent in New York State and 61 percent in the U.S.

Although people of color make up a large component of EFP clients throughout New York State and the U.S., the racial/ethnic composition of EFP client populations differs greatly by geographic region. For example, while the largest racial/ethnic categories among EFP clients in New York State are among White residents (27 percent) and Black/African-American residents (45 percent), the largest racial/ethnic categories among EFP clients in the U.S. are Black/African-American residents (38 percent) and White residents (40 percent). Additionally, close to one-quarter (24 percent) of EFP clients in New York State and 17 percent in the U.S. are Latino/Hispanic residents. Less than 10 percent of EFP clients are American Indian, Alaskan Native, Pacific Islander or Asian residents (5 percent New York State; 7 percent U.S.).

Weekly and Annual Number of Emergency Food Provider Client Household Members Served by Geographic Service Area

Food Bank/Food Rescue Organization Name and Geographic Service Are	EFP Client Household Members Served Weekly	EFP Client Household Members Served Annually
Food Bank For New York City and City Harvest - New York City (Kings, Bronx, Manhattan, Queens and Richmond Counties )	300,000	1.2 million
Food Bank of Central New York - Cayuga, Chenango, Cortland, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego and St. Lawrence Counties	28,800	115,200
Food Bank of the Southern Tier - Broome, Tioga, Tompkins, Chemung, Schuyler and Steuben Counties	9,000	42,700
Food Bank of Western New York - Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie and Niagara Counties	43,200	140,000
Foodlink - Allegany, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne, Wyoming, Yates	15,400	94,400
Food Bank For Westchester - Westchester County	15,700	110,000
Long Island Cares and Island Harvest - Long Island ( Nassau and Suffolk Counties)	44,000	259,400
Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York - Albany, Clinton, Columbia, Delaware, Dutchess, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Hamilton, Montgomery, Orange, Otsego, Putnam, Rensselaer, Rockland, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Sullivan, Ulster, Warren and Washington Counties	40,100	195,700
New York State Total	500,000	2.1 million
U.S. Total	4 million	25 million