Do you know the face of hunger in your community?
New Hampshire does not measure hunger directly –
hunger and food insecurity are measured by proxy utilizing poverty
statistics:
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95,090 people in NH lived below the federal poverty line in 2005
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29.5% were children under the age of 18
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11.9% were seniors aged 65 or over
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The federal poverty income guideline for a family of four in 2006 is $20,000
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9,572 people were living in poverty in Merrimack County in 2005
The USDA Household Food Security Survey, 2002-2004
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Food insecurity is defined by households
that do not have adequate access to healthy food for an active,
healthy lifestyle. Food insecurity with hunger means that
families go without food for some days out of the month and in
severe cases children go without food for one or more days in a
month.
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6.4% of NH households experience food
insecurity – not knowing whether they will be able to access
enough food throughout the year
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An additional 2.4% of NH households
experience both food insecurity and hunger
America’s Second Harvest Survey, 2004
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45% of NH food pantry/shelter said they had
to choose between paying for food or paying for medicine or
medical care
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42% of NH food pantry/shelter said they had
to choose between paying for food or paying utility bills.
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27% of NH food pantry shelter said they had
to choose between paying for food or paying for rent/mortgage.
Other facts
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The majority of NH poor and food insecure
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In general food stamp benefits last only
three weeks; this holds true even when trying to purchase the
lowest cost foods
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The competing basic human needs, food,
shelter, clothing cannot be met with low wage jobs
Study completed by The University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension.
The University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity educator and employer.
University of New Hampshire, U.S. Department of Agriculture and N.H. counties cooperating.
