Submitted
Editor’s note: The following statement was written by Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana President and CEO Fred Glass.
Glass
On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Economic Research Service released its annual Household Food Insecurity in the United States report, which examined American households’ ability to access sufficient food in 2022. While the results of this report may have been a surprise to some, they were not a surprise to Gleaners or our network partners.
The number of people living in food insecure households in the United States in 2022 increased to 44 million, including 13 million children, according to a report released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This is an increase of 31 percent for all individuals and 44 percent for children from the previous year, the highest rate and number of individuals and children since 2014 and the largest one-year increase in food insecurity since 2008.
Data shows that Gleaners and other hunger relief organizations had been able to meet the increased need during the height of the pandemic due to a number of factors: generous financial donations, an increase in government commodities, and a variety of economic supports such as increased SNAP eligibility and benefits, the Advance Child Tax Credit, school feeding programs available to all, and more. As each of these supports was peeled away, Gleaners saw an immediate spike in the number of households in our lines.
Today, most of the enhanced supports are gone, and combined with increased costs in key areas that greatly impact households with limited means: housing/rent, food, utilities, and the like, families are under more economic pressure. People are working, and wages have increased, but not as fast as inflation in these categories.
Food banks like Gleaners are stepping into the breach to source and distribute nutritious food with less support during a time of increased need. We, and our partners, need funding to continue to meet this heightened and prolonged need.
About Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana, Inc.
Gleaners was founded in 1980 and is a respected leader within Feeding America, the nation’s food bank network. Since that time, Gleaners has distributed more than 920 million pounds of food and critical grocery products through nearly 300 hunger relief agencies, schools and community partners serving Hoosiers facing food insecurity.
In addition to food distribution to agencies, Gleaners serves its most vulnerable populations, seniors, and children, through specialty programs such as Gleaners2Go, Home Delivery, School-Based Pantries, Mobile Pantries, Summer Meals for Kids, and Senior Hunger Initiative programs.
Gleaners is certified as a Good Wages Initiative Employer by EmployIndy. Charity Navigator has recognized Gleaners as a 4-Star organization, the highest rating for charity demonstrating fiscal management and accountability. In addition, Gleaners is an accredited charity with the Better Business Bureau and has earned a Platinum Seal of Transparency from GuideStar.
To learn more or make a contribution visit Gleaners.org.