Survey Results Reveal Faces of Hunger
in Rhode Island
Today, the Rhode Island Community Food Bank released the
results of a statewide survey identifying demographic details of
households impacted by hunger in Rhode Island. The survey was conducted
earlier this year by the Food Bank in partnership with Brown University’s
Hassenfeld Child Health Innovation Institute and dozens of
volunteers.
The 2019 Hunger Survey provided valuable
information regarding the economic circumstances and challenges faced
by the people served at the member agencies that make up the Food Bank
network.
We also found that:
- 66% of households that visit our food pantries
include a child (0-17 yrs old) or senior (65+ yrs old)
- 45% of respondents report being in poor or fair
health (as opposed to good, very good, or excellent)
- 69% of households with children have an
employed adult yet 89% live below the poverty line
- 75% of respondents are enrolled in SNAP (which
the USDA plans to cut, leaving 11,000 Rhode Islanders without food
assistance including 5,000 children)
This data tells us that even with a strong economy,
thousands of Rhode Islanders are struggling to put food on the table.
And that has a tremendous impact on their health as well. The results
of the survey will help direct our work over the next few years as we
go through our strategic planning process.
Thank you to the Hassenfeld Child Health Innovation
Institute and to all those who volunteered their time to do surveys.
You can find the full results on our website.
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