Commentary – N.C. numbers show high food insecurity
File photo (left) Chris Fitzsimon (right)
Chris Fitzsimon, founder and executive director of N.C. Policy Watch, writes the weekly column called “Monday numbers,” which provides numerical facts on a topic each week.
Numbers on food
insecurity
*14.7: average percentage of households in the United States that experienced food insecurity each year from 2012-2014 (Hunger and poverty fact sheet, Feeding America)
*16.7: average percentage of households in North Carolina that experienced food insecurity each year from 2012-2014 (Hunger and poverty fact sheet, Feeding America)
*9: rank of North Carolina among the 50 states in the highest levels of food insecurity (Hunger in North Carolina, The North Carolina Association of Feeding America Food Banks)
*26.1: percentage of children in North Carolina under 18 who are food insecure on a regular basis (Ibid)
*160,000: number of people in North Carolina who receive emergency food assistance in any given week (Ibid)
81: percentage of NC households receiving food assistance that don’t know where their next meal is coming from (Ibid)
36: percentage of food pantries in North Carolina that have turned people away because they have no food to give them (Ibid)
73: percentage of North Carolina households served by food banks that have had to choose between paying for food and paying for health care or medicine. (Ibid)
75: percentage of North Carolina households served by food banks that have had to choose between buying food and heating their homes. (Ibid)
61: percentage of North Carolina families served by food banks that have been forced to choose between paying for food and paying for housing. (Ibid)
22: percentage of North Carolina families served by food banks that have a member who has served in the military (Ibid)
6: percentage of North Carolina families served by food banks that have a member currently serving in the military (Ibid)
105,000: number of low-income adults in North Carolina who will lose food aid in 2016 thanks House Bill 318, the “Protect North Carolina Workers Act,” signed by Gov. Pat McCrory that will bar state officials from applying for a federal waiver to allow people to continue to receive federal food benefits. (Up to 105,000 childless adults in North Carolina would lose food aid in 2016 if legislators prohibit new waiver, Progressive Pulse, September 25, 2015)
83: number of counties in North Carolina where there are more jobless workers than job openings (“Unbelievable: Last minute bill would limit food assistance, expand hunger in NC,” Progressive Pulse, September 24, 2015)
Chris Fitzsimon, founder and executive director of N.C. Policy Watch, writes the daily Fitzsimon File, delivers a radio commentary broadcast on WRAL-FM and hosts “News and Views,” a weekly radio news magazine that airs on multiple stations across North Carolina. Reach him at chris@ncpolicywatch.com or 919-861-2066.
