GRAND RAPIDS, MN –
May 06, 2015 – Second Harvest North Central Food Bank announced the release
of the annual Map the Meal Gap study, which details the startling rate of food
insecurity experienced by people in the seven country north central Minnesota
region. Map the Meal Gap 2015 results reveal that overall food insecurity is
highest in Koochiching County, where 13% of the population is food insecure and
in Cass County, where 23.5% of children are food insecure.
“At Second Harvest we are constantly working to provide
up to date solutions for all of the communities that we serve in our seven
county region,” said Sue Estee, Executive Director at Second Harvest North
Central Food Bank. “Findings from Map the Meal Gap 2015 helps hunger-relief
organizations like ours better quantify the economic issues that so many of our
neighbors deal with. We have continued to see an increase in demand at our
member agencies and this study substantiates it. We now know more and more
people are struggling to put food on their tables.
Take, for instance, Jenny a wife and mother of three
children. In the past she has only needed
help from the food shelf during the winter months. Both she and her husband work, but her job is
seasonal. Her husband is currently on disability/workman’s comp due injuries
that occurred while on the job. He is taking in less pay and they have a lot of
medical bills to pay. The family uses a
lot of food from their garden in the summer and they live off the land when
they can afford to hunt and fish. They cook whole foods because they are
cheaper to buy and turn to the food shelf when there is not enough money to buy
groceries. Right now is one of those times.
“The kids know when we have to cut back and try to help and don’t
complain, but I know how much this means to us and totally appreciate it. Some days I don’t know what we would do without
it (food shelf) being here,” said Jenny.
Other local key findings:
• 24,870
people in north central Minnesota are food insecure,
• 9,430 of
those are children under the age of 18
• The number
of food insecure people continues to rise every year – the economy has not yet
recovered for low-income households
Map the Meal Gap 2015 is based on an analysis of statistics
collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Census Bureau, and the
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2013, the most recent year for which data is
available. The study, commissioned by Feeding America, is a detailed analysis
of the nation’s food insecurity. An interactive map is available that allows
viewers to explore the issue of hunger in north central Minnesota and across
the country. The map can be found at map.feedingamerica.org. Second
Harvest encourages you to look at the map and see how your county rates.
*Food insecurity is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s
measure of lack of access at times to enough food for an active, healthy life
for all household members.
About Second
Harvest
Second
Harvest North Central Food Bank serves 115 hunger relief agencies in
Koochiching, Itasca, Cass, Aitkin, Crow Wing, Mille Lacs and Kanabec counties.
In 2014, 4.8 million pounds of food and grocery products were distributed
through those agencies. For more information regarding Second Harvest North
Central Food Bank, visit www.secondharvestncfb.com or call 218.326.4420.
