Jefferson City, MO – New data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that more Missouri families are struggling to put food on the table, with the state experiencing one of the biggest increases in food insecurity in the nation last year.
There's a hunger crisis in Missouri and it's only getting worse, according to a new report from the U-S Department of Agriculture. It finds the state is losing ground despite efforts to help families put food on the table. Jeanette Mott Oxford with the Missouri Association for Social Welfare says when it comes to feeding its most vulnerable residents, the state is moving in the wrong direction.
| "Missouri has the second-highest growth in food insecurity in the country, tied with Tennessee for second place." |
According to the data, one in six Missouri households struggled with hunger last year, making the state one of eight in the nation where the rate of food insecurity is significantly higher than the national average of roughly 14 percent.
Mott Oxford says she feels the trend highlights the need to strengthen the food safety net, including increasing federal food assistance benefits and expanding child nutrition programs.
| "Like school breakfasts and lunches, summer feeding programs, food stamps. Those programs provide over $20 worth of aid to struggling families for every dollar that we're raising privately with charity. " |
Among the nearly 17-percent of Missouri households the survey found to be faced with hunger, more than half were identified as having “very low food security." The term means they have budget issues severe enough to skip meals, both for adults and kids, on a more frequent basis.
