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No one deserves to be
hungry.
This basic principle
guides much of the work we do at Hoosier Hills Food Bank. It's important
to learn about the people we serve and how hunger affects their lives.
The Hoosier Hills Food Bank:
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distributes food products in a six-county
service area in South Central Indiana. 31,337 people, or 13.5% of the total
population, in the HHFB service area live in poverty. (Hunger Almanac 2006)
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provides food to 20,000 individuals
each month in our service area
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rescued, on average, over 139,000 pounds
of food each month in 2005
Hunger is an income issue, an indicator of
the growing disparity between income and expenses.
Housing:
The rising cost of housing contributes to Indiana’s hunger rate. According to
the National Low-Income Housing Coalition, with the current minimum wage in
Indiana, a person in the six-county HHFB service area would have to work an
average of 88 hours per week to afford a two-bedroom unit at fair market rent.
Utilities:
Many families face a “heat or eat” dilemma. When cold weather forces heating
bills higher, food budgets are squeezed. During cold winter months or in houses
with poor insulation, heating bills can soar.
Health Insurance:
14% of Hoosiers were without healthcare from 2003-2004 (US Census Bureau) and
the number is rising. 28% of clients served by HHFB report having to choose
between buying food and paying health care costs.
Employment:
Indiana has lost 96,300 manufacturing jobs since 2000 (IN Coalition on Housing
and Homeless Issues). 58% of households served by Hoosier Hills Food Bank have
one or more employed adults but still lack sufficient income to cover the most
basic of expenses.
Childcare:
More than 2,500 of the clients served by Hoosier Hills Food Bank in a year are
under the age of 5. Childcare for Hoosiers costs on average $400 a month
(National economic Development and Law Center).
***Hunger Study 2006*** - Local Stats
from the Hoosier Hills Food Bank Service Area. A
great resource for information about who is seeking food assistance
locally. Click on "Local Picture," then Indiana, then Hoosier Hills
Food Bank.
***Hunger Almanac 2006***
- A Comprehensive Guide to National and State Facts
on Hunger and Poverty
State of the States: 2007
- A Profile of Food and Nutrition Programs across the
Nation. Report from the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC)
www.frac.org
Virtual Poverty Tour--Clearly
breaks down the budgeting choices that families must make to make ends meet and
shows how the cycle of poverty is maintained. (text
version also available).
By a Thread
- The New Experience of America's Middle Class
The
Economic Cost of Domestic Hunger and
cost by state examines the estimated financial annual burden of hunger
on the United States.
Other Helpful Links
FINDINGS FROM INDIANA'S 2005 KIDS COUNT STUDY
CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
In 2003, 70 percent of Indiana families with children were headed by a married
couple, and 30 percent by a single parent. Single mothers accounted for 75
percent and single fathers accounted for 25 percent of single-parent families.
In 2003, about 45,000 Hoosier grandparents were raising their grandchildren.
Nearly three-quarters of grandparents responsible for raising their
grandchildren were married, and 60 percent were in the labor force.
FAMILIES IN NEED
Figures based on 2002 income show an estimated 12 percent of Hoosier children
younger than 18 were living in poverty, compared with 17 percent nationally.
Nearly one-third of children in poverty are younger than 5.
In 2002, Indiana's median family income ($51,338) continued to be lower than
the national average ($52,273).
MATERNAL, CHILD HEALTH
The percentage of Hoosier women receiving prenatal care slipped below the
national average. In 2003, 81 percent of Hoosier women reported receiving
first-trimester prenatal care, a rate that has remained unchanged for four
years.
Smoking rates have declined for Hoosier women since 1990, from 27 percent to 19
percent in 2003. Although smoking among pregnant Hoosiers is on the decline,
Indiana remains above the national average.
In 2003, about 8 percent of Hoosier babies were low birth weight, up from 7.6
percent in 2002.
The teen birthrate in Indiana has declined but at a slower pace than the
national rate. In 2003, the birthrate for 15- to 19-year-olds was 43 per 1,000
Hoosier females, compared with 45 per 1,000 females in 2002. Since 1996, the
birthrate for 15- to 19-year-olds has declined 22 percent in Indiana.
EDUCATION
In Indiana, special education enrollment increased 81/2 times faster than
public school enrollment from the 1994-95 school year to 2003-04. The special
education population increased by 34 percent, whereas public school enrollment
increased by 4 percent.
The Indiana Department of Education reported that 8,045 public school students
dropped out of school during the 2003-04 school year, an increase of 19 percent
from the 2002-03 school year.
HIGH-RISK BEHAVIORS
In 2004, about one-quarter of students in Grades 10-12 reported riding with an
intoxicated driver at least once in the past year. Tobacco use by Hoosier youths
has declined steadily over the past decade, yet rates remain above the national
rate. In 2004, nearly one out of five 12th-graders reported smoking cigarettes
daily. By 12th grade, 41 percent of Indiana 12th-graders reported having tried
marijuana at least once, while 18 percent reported having used it in the past
month.
AFTER-SCHOOL TIME
Almost two-thirds of Hoosier children in Grades K-12 spend some portion of their
after-school hours in the care of a parent or guardian. Only one of 10 Hoosier
youths participates in after-school programs.
Source: Indiana Youth Institute
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