As Economy Goes South, Hunger Rises in Connecticut, Nation

For many Connecticut families three square meals a day is the stuff of fantasy.

One in four American families with children couldn't afford food this past year, according to the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) report, “Food Hardship in America.” The report’s authors called “it a national problem that demands aggressive steps toward a solution.”

“The data in this report show that food hardship – running out of money to buy the food that households need – is a substantial challenge in every corner of this country,” FRAC President Jim Weill said.

The report details how Americans are struggling in these tough economic times, and the numbers are even higher for those families with children. In 2010, the food hardship rate for households without children was 14.9 percent; for families with children, it was 23.4 percent.

“Let me be clear— that means that millions of American children are going to bed hungry at night. This is unacceptable,” said U.S. Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro (D-3) in a statement.

The report said that not one Congressional District in the country is free from food hardship. Each year in Connecticut, more than 400,000 people are at risk for hunger, according to the Connecticut Food Bank. Last year the food bank gave out nearly 15 million pounds of food in 6 of the state’s 8 counties.

Though constituents in economically depressed areas of the Fourth District don’t usually talk about food issues, they do complain about economic hardship, Himes said.

“It’s completely intolerable that a country as wealthy as this one can have this problem,” said U.S. Rep. Jim Himes (D-4).

It’s a thin line separating those who rely on area food pantries from those who don’t.

“Sometimes the difference between a family who uses a food program and one that doesn’t is the sudden loss of a job, an illness, or unexpected rise in health or utilities bills,” according to the Connecticut Food Bank website.

Here's how Connecticut stacked up in the report:

Congressional District

Representative

Households without Children

Housholds with Children

Rank

1st

John Larson

13.3 

19.0

328

2nd

Joe Courtney

10.2 

19.6

317

3rd

Rosa. DeLauro

13.0 

18.6

337

4th

Jim Himes

9.5 

15.7

384

5th

Chris Murphy

15.4 

19.0

328

For DeLauro it's the elephant in the room that bears responsibility for the problem.

DeLauro blamed the Republican majority in the House for cutting funding for programs such as the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program, the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), and Commodities Supplemental Food Program (CSFP). She said these programs help women, children, and seniors from going hungry.

 “But the majority has chosen to cut these programs in the name of deficit reduction, while maintaining tax breaks for the wealthy and continuing billions of dollars in subsidies to oil companies,” DeLauro said.

The House Republicans proposed to cut WIC funding by 11 percent. However, many analysts say it’s unlikely the Senate would pass such cuts.

The fight about food stamps and other social programs will likely increase as the Super Committee begins its work to find at least $1.2 trillion in debt reduction by year’s end.

“We can have a partisan fight about many things but it shouldn’t involve the plight of those struggling to get enough to eat,” Himes said. “There will need to be cuts but we don’t need to look hard to find hundreds of cuts that make far more sense.”

Related Topics: Food Hardship and connecticut food bank

Are you surprised by the report's findings? What should the government do to address this?