Hunger in Our Community
Compiled by Professor Beth Wyler, Anne Arundel Community College
To underscore the needs of people in our community, here are a few facts about hunger and the financial state of people in our country, our state and Anne Arundel County:
- More than 466,000 Maryland resiidents (8.3% of state population) live below the national poverty line. More than 25,600 residents of Anne Arundel County (5.0% of the county population) live below the national poverty line. (US Census Bureau QuickFacts)
- According to the USDA, an estimated 36.2 million individuals including 12.4 million children are food insecure (11.1% of population), meaning these households are uncertain of having, or unable to acquire enough food to meet the needs of all their members due to limitations of money and other resources. (USSA/ERS, Household Food Security in the United States: 2007)
- 30.2% of households headed by a single woman are food insecure. (USSA/ERS, Household Food Security in the United States: 2007)
- Nearly half of the population (45%) relying on food assistance in Maryland report having to choose between paying for heat and utilities. (Maryland Food Bank)
- An estimated 17% of all people in need of food assistance and 15% of households with children needing assistance are not receiving it. (U.S. Conference of Mayors, A Status Report on Hunger and Homelessness in America's Cities: A 23-City Survey, December 2007)
- 37% of Maryland's households cannot afford rental units. Even in the state's most afffordable rental housing jurisdictions, a minimum wage worker needs to work 80 hours a week to pay for a two-bedroom apartment. (Maryland Food Bank)
- The unemployment rate in Maryland was 6.2% in January 2009. In January 2008, the unemployment rate was 3.6%. January's unemployment rate was the highest since April 1992 (6.9%). (Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics)