Report: More R.I. families becoming ‘food insecure’

The Rhode Island Community Food Bank on Monday released its 2008 “Status Report on Hunger in Rhode Island.“

The report found that today’s difficult economy and the high unemployment rate in the state, combined with rising grocery and energy costs, mean more families are living in poverty and are “food insecure.“

Hunger is affecting many of Rhode Island’s children.  The numbers show that one in every six children in the state is growing up in a home where there is a struggle to put food on the table.  “Food insecurity” is a term used to describe individuals or families who cannot afford enough food to meet their basic nutritional needs.

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2008 Status Report on Hunger in Rhode Island

The food bank report shows that over the past year, the price of groceries has increased by 6 percent, making it harder for low-income families to buy enough food.  Most of those at-risk families cannot afford the type of balanced diet the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends, without turning to some type of food assistance.  The USDA projects that the cost of food will rise again—by another 5 to 6 percent—in the coming year.

Over the past year, food programs of the Rhode Island Community Food Bank served 10 million meals, straining the resources of the organization and its 285 member agencies across the state.  Thousands of people who had never had to seek assistance before are now turning to neighborhood food pantries and soup kitchens for help.  The food bank faced an additional challenge when the General Assembly, confronting a statewide budget crisis, cut the state’s funding for the food bank in half.  The food bank’s yearly operating budget is $5 million. Of that, only $192,000 now comes from the state of Rhode Island.

The food bank said private and public resources must be mobilized to increase the available, emergency food supply.  The report also recommended changes in procedures to make it easier for Rhode Islanders to sign up for food stamps. In recent years, only a little more than half of those eligible for food stamps actually signed up for the benefits.

It’s estimated that 115,000 Rhode Islanders, 40,000 of them children, do not get enough to eat.

Currently, the Rhode Island Community Food Bank helps 40,000 Rhode Islanders each month, a 12 percent increase over last year.  To find out how you can help, visit the organization’s Web site.