Feeding America study shows increasing food insecurity in Cass County
Last Updated on June 3, 2024 by Food Finders
The extra amount of money that people facing hunger said they need to have enough food reached its highest point in the last 20 years, according to Feeding America’s annual Map the Meal Gap study. At the local level, Map the Meal Gap finds that over 84,000 people in Food Finders Food Bank’s 16-county service area are food insecure. Food Finders is part of Feeding America’s nationwide food bank network.
Map the Meal Gap is the only study that provides local-level estimates of food insecurity and food costs for every county and congressional district.The study builds upon the USDA’s latest report of national and state data, which showed a sharp increase in food insecurity in 2022 amidst historically high food prices and the expiration of many pandemic-era programs. Map the Meal Gap emphasizes the urgent call for all of us to take action.
“The insights from this year’s study confirm what we hear from people facing hunger: elevated living expenses, especially food prices, are worsening hunger in America,” said Kier Crites Muller, President/CEO of Food Finders Food Bank. Crites Muller continued, stating “Food insecurity is much too complex for any one individual to tackle. It does not exist in a vacuum: people who face challenges accessing enough food also face challenges affording adequate housing, healthcare, transportation, and other basic needs.”
Local findings of Map the Meal Gap include:
- In Cass County, 15.2%, or 1 in 7 neighbors, are experiencing food insecurity.
- This includes 17.9%, or 1 in 6 children.
“When we listen to people facing hunger and understand how hunger shows up locally, we can better invest in our communities, drive policy change, and more, to end hunger across North Central Indiana and across the nation,” says Crites Muller. “Together, we can unite to create a future where we all have access to the food and resources we need to thrive.”
The Map the Meal Gap studyis supported by Conagra Brands Foundation and NielsenIQ/NIQ. Additional key takeaways from the report can be found on the Map the Meal Gap website along with an interactive map that details food insecurity by geography, income, race, and ethnicity.
To learn how food insecurity impacts your community, visit FeedingAmerica.org/MaptheMealGap. For more information about Food Finders Food Bank and how to help end hunger in our 16-county service area, visit https://www.food-finders.org/
About Food Finders:
Since 1981, Food Finders Food Bank, a member of Feeding America, has worked to provide full-service programs that meet the nutritional needs of thousands of hungry families across our 16-county service area. The food bank operates programs to cost-effectively secure donated and purchased food, provide food to families in need, and educate the community about the efficient use of food resources. Food Finders distributes over twelve million pounds of food annually throughout the 16 counties it serves. For more information or to donate, contact Food Finders Food Bank, Inc. at 765.471.0062 or visit www.food-finders.org.
About Feeding America
Feeding America® is the largest hunger relief organization in the United States. As a network of more than 200 food banks, 21 statewide food bank associations, and over 60,000 agency partners, including food pantries and meal programs, we helped provide 5.2 billion meals to tens of millions of people in need last year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; brings attention to the social and systemic barriers that contribute to food insecurity in our nation; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Visit www.FeedingAmerica.org, find us on Facebook , or follow us on Twitter.
SOURCE: News release from Food Finders