Thousands
of Families Left Behind in Recovery
By the Rhode Island Community Food Bank
The economic recovery taking root in Rhode Island has not
reached thousands of low-income families who rely on food programs to avoid
hunger.
One in seven Rhode
Island households cannot afford adequate food.
Hunger continues at levels virtually unchanged from the all-time high
experienced during the recession. The rate of food insecurity in Rhode Island
is now 14.4 percent, down from 14.7 percent.
2014 Status Report on Hunger
Every year, the Food Bank releases a Status Report on
Hunger, detailing the scope of the challenges facing our community today. Read the 2014 Status Report on Hunger.
Families Make Difficult Choices
The recent Hunger in America study by Feeding America, the
national network of food banks, found that most people receiving food
assistance from the Rhode Island Community Food Bank's network of agencies are
living at or below the federal poverty level.
Clients of food pantries are forced to make unthinkable
choices between paying for food and paying for other essentials, like
utilities, medicine, transportation or housing. Read more about the trade-offs made
by our clients.
The Food Bank now serves 63,000 people per month through
its statewide network of food pantries. In 2007, the same number of agencies
served 33,000 people per month. One in three served is a child under the age of
18, and one in five is a senior age 60 years or older.
Food Bank Focuses on Fresh, Healthy Food
The Food Bank distributes nearly 10 million pounds of food
per year, including more than 2 million pounds of fresh produce, to its 169
member agencies. Currently, 89 percent of the food distributed is highly
nutritious "core" food that can be used to make a healthy meal for a
family.
The continued high demand for food assistance makes it
challenging for the Food Bank to acquire enough healthy food to stock food
pantries across the state.
The quantity of donated food has dropped in recent
years due in large part to improved inventory and quality control in the food
industry, which results in less surplus food available for donation. To fill
this gap, the Food Bank must now purchase more than 3 million pounds of food
per year.
Access to Nutrition Programs is Critical
Federal nutrition programs are an essential resource for
low-income families struggling to keep food on the table.Find out how you can advocate for
improved access to nutrition programs.
For your convenience, below are email addresses for Rhode
Island’s Congressional Delegates and a link to email addresses for members of
the General Assembly.
If you wish to share your opinions with the Governor or our
U.S. Senators and Representatives, their contact information is below.
Governor Lincoln D. Chafee
Office of the Governor
82 Smith Street
Providence, Rhode Island 02903-1196
Governor's email: governor@governor.ri.gov
Governor's telephone: 401-222-2080
Office of the Governor
82 Smith Street
Providence, Rhode Island 02903-1196
Governor's email: governor@governor.ri.gov
Governor's telephone: 401-222-2080
Senator Jack Reed
Rhode Island Office Address:
100 Chapel View Boulevard, Suite 290
Cranston, Rhode Island, 02920-5602
Washington, DC Office Address:
728 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Sen. Reed's email: visit http://www.reed.senate.gov/help/contacting-jack
Sen. Reed's telephone: 401-943-3100
Rhode Island Office Address:
100 Chapel View Boulevard, Suite 290
Cranston, Rhode Island, 02920-5602
Washington, DC Office Address:
728 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Sen. Reed's email: visit http://www.reed.senate.gov/help/contacting-jack
Sen. Reed's telephone: 401-943-3100
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse
Rhode Island Office Address:
170 Westminster Street, Suite 1100
Providence, Rhode Island 02903
Washington, DC Office Address:
717 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Sen. Whitehouse's email: visit http://www.whitehouse.senate.gov/contact/
Sen. Whitehouse's telephone: 401-453-5294
Rhode Island Office Address:
170 Westminster Street, Suite 1100
Providence, Rhode Island 02903
Washington, DC Office Address:
717 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Sen. Whitehouse's email: visit http://www.whitehouse.senate.gov/contact/
Sen. Whitehouse's telephone: 401-453-5294
Representative David Cicilline
Rhode Island Office Address:
1070 Main Street, Suite 300
Pawtucket, Rhode Island 02860
Washington, DC Office Address:
128 Cannon HOB
Washington, DC 20515Rep. Cicilline's email: visit https://cicilline.house.gov/contact-me/email-me Rep. Cicilline's telephone: 401-225-4911
Rhode Island Office Address:
1070 Main Street, Suite 300
Pawtucket, Rhode Island 02860
Washington, DC Office Address:
128 Cannon HOB
Washington, DC 20515Rep. Cicilline's email: visit https://cicilline.house.gov/contact-me/email-me Rep. Cicilline's telephone: 401-225-4911
Representative James Langevin
Rhode Island Office:
300 Centerville Road, Suite 200 South
Warwick, Rhode Island 02886
Washington, DC Office:
109 Cannon HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Rep. Langevin's email: visit http://langevin.house.gov/contact-me/email-me
Rep. Langevin's telephone: 401-739-9400
Rhode Island Office:
300 Centerville Road, Suite 200 South
Warwick, Rhode Island 02886
Washington, DC Office:
109 Cannon HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Rep. Langevin's email: visit http://langevin.house.gov/contact-me/email-me
Rep. Langevin's telephone: 401-739-9400