The homeless, the jobless and the unemployable once made up the composite sketch of the hungry. Now, it could easily be a family of four with two working parents, according to UCLA researchers who conducted the California Health Information Survey.

The results, made public Nov. 3, show more people face hunger in Tulare County than in any other county in the state. For a family of four earning $36,000 a year -- twice the poverty level -- 41% of adults struggle to put food on the table compared with the state average of 28%.

"People who are working are still hungry," said Sandy Beals, executive director of FoodLink for Tulare County, a nonprofit food bank that helps stock 85 food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters in the county. "It's the nature of the ag economy. When there's work in the fields, our numbers go down. But in bad weather, and at this time of year, we see huge lines for food."

Poverty, double-digit unemployment and hunger are side effects of an area that has farming as its No. 1 economy, Beals said. Tulare County's $3.4 billion agriculture industry changes with the seasons. In winter, several crops go dormant.

Other seasonal workers -- like carpenters, landscapers and construction workers -- also take a hit during the winter.

Last year, Tulare County received $643,405 from the federal Emergency Food and Shelter Program to help the poor. Community Services & Employment Training Inc., or C-SET, a private, nonprofit organization, distributes the money to local charities and food banks to buy clothing and food and to provide shelter, said contract specialist Mary Gutierrez.

Some money goes to organizations like FoodLink. But the federal money is only a small portion of FoodLink's $687,000 operating budget, said Sandy Beals, executive director of FoodLink.

"That doesn't get it," she said. "We're grateful for what we get, but it's a drop in the bucket. It doesn't begin to feed the bulldog." Instead, most of the group's money comes from donations.

C-SET gave food to 92,000 people last year and fed 400 children per day during a summer program, Beals said. Almost 700 volunteers handle more than 6 million pounds of food per year.

Good News Center in Visalia also reaches out to the poor.

"Most of the people we see are farm laborers," said Good News Center director Sister Kenneth Quinn. "Often, they have to choose between paying the rent and utilities or buying food."

The center houses a thrift store, day-care area, clinic, shelter and a kitchen. It also provides legal assistance to migrant workers.

Many workers will sacrifice their own welfare to send money back home, especially this time of year, Quinn said. "They have an attitude that they were chosen to come here and work. They live as meager as they can and then send everything back to their home country."

The reporter can be reached at

jplemons@fresnobee.com or 622-2409.