Despite our state's
remarkable agricultural abundance and our nation's unprecedented prosperity,
over 5 million Californians are hungry or live in fear of hunger.
For many, the answer will be found in good jobs with livable wages.
But while they make the transition from welfare to work, and for a longer
time for those who can't, the best defense against hunger is found in the
federal food programs.
At the same time, more than one quarter of all California’s youngsters are overweight, reflecting the obesity epidemic striking our state and nation. While the linkages between food insecurity and overweight are complex, a key part of the response is simple—strengthening the federal food programs. Unfortunately, these programs are severely underutilized, so CFPA focuses upon improving and expanding them as a means to improving the health and well-being of low-income Californians by increasing their access to nutritious and affordable food.
For a quick guide to nutrition programs in California that work to alleviate hunger and improve nutrition, click here. (For a foldable, brochure version of this document, click here.)
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2007
2005
Did you know?
According to the Center
on Hunger and Poverty*, over 5 million Californians are food insecure, with
over 1.2 million of those individuals experiencing hunger in 2002.
In
2002, California ranks as the 15th worst state for food insecurity with hunger by the USDA.
California is above the national average in percentage of households living
under these conditions.
From
March 1995 through June 2000, the number of food
stamp participants in California dropped over 40%, from 3.25 million to 1.8
million recipients.
Only
47% of eligible population received food
stamp benefits in 1999.
Nearly,
3 million children in California are eligible to receive free or reduced priced
school meals, and though the National
School Lunch Program feeds many of these kids, 70% of these kids do not
receive school breakfast.
In
2000, about 2 million children received free or reduced price school lunch, yet
only 790,200 (NSLP and SFSP
combined) children received a lunch during the summer.
A
2003 study by the California
Center for Public Health Advocacy found between 16.9% to 36.8% of children
are overweight, according to their Assembly District.
A copy of the report
2005 Touched
by Hunger: A County-by-County Report on Hunger and Food Insecurity in
The report contains county-by-county profiles of hunger and food insecurity (click below). For a county specific press release click below:
Useful links:
Additional Resources
California
Health Interview Survey (CHIS)
*Center on Hunger and Poverty report,
titled, Hunger and Food Insecurity in the Fifty States: 1998-2000."
Summary
of the annual mayor's report on hunger and homelessness.