What is food insecurity? Acceptable shorthand definitions for food insecurity are “being hungry” or “at risk of hunger” or “not knowing where your next meal is coming from.”
According to recent statistics from the U.S. Department of Agriculture the reduction of SNAP benefits will affect approximately 23 million low income households. Some of this has already taken effect as of November 2013. As a result many families are now seeking assistance from other programs, in particular food banks and food pantries. SNAP benefits will average less than $1.40 per person per meal in 2014.
Some alarming statistics from (Feeding America, Map the Meal Gap) are as follows:
20% of all Georgians-nearly 1 in 5 Georgians are food insecure;
28.8% of children in Georgia-1 in 4 children live in food insecure households;
Both unemployment and underemployment are also factors in the increase in demand for food assistance with 27% of outside agencies (food banks/food pantries) reporting that people are now seeking assistance for the first time in their lives;
In regards to senior hunger, Georgia is ranked 9th as one of the highest states of senior hunger (2011 National Survey of Older Americans Act). Seniors who have been served through such programs as “Meals on Wheels “and Mobile Food Pantries have reported more food security, improvement to their overall health and comments were very favorable for this type of service.
In our work with the mobile food pantry we have seen a tremendous increase in the amounts of people asking for food assistance over the past few months. The increase has been so drastic that our supply of food items has been depleted in our attempts to get food packages to families who really need them. Madinah Food Pantry & Family Services serve Muslim families in Northeast Georgia and the metro Atlanta area through our mobile food pantry. Many of the families that we serve live off very limited SSI incomes, meager child support payments or minimum wage jobs. We are in the process of restocking the pantry throughout the winter months in order to continue to serve the families who are in need. Anyone wishing to donate food items please contact us and we can arrange a pickup of these items. All non- perishable and canned foods are welcome, as well as frozen foods and meats.
Jazak Allah Khairan.
