Alameda County Community Food Bank

Press Releases:

Contact: Kari Martell
(510) 636-4902

Alameda County Community Food Bank’s new study uncovers 40,000 residents needing food assistance weekly, mostly children and seniors

Steady paycheck is no guarantee against hunger for working families

Oakland, CA (February 23, 2006) – New research shows that each week, 40,000 Alameda County residents, including 16,000 children and 6,144 seniors over age fifty, receive emergency food assistance from the Alameda County Community Food Bank’s network of pantries, soup kitchens and shelters. This new information is part of the first comprehensive local study of hunger conducted since 2001. The study is part of a national study of hunger undertaken in conjunction with America's Second Harvest, The Nation’s Food Bank Network,™ and Mathematica Policy Research. Over 150 food banks participated nationwide.

"It's a sad fact that more children and seniors in our community are missing meals," said Suzan Bateson, executive director of the Alameda County Community Food Bank. "Additionally, earning a steady paycheck isn't enough to keep many families out of food lines. Nearly 40% of our client households have at least one employed family member."

Five key findings came from this local study:

Children are the most vulnerable to hunger:
- In Alameda County, 35% of emergency food recipients are children under the age of 18.
- 25% of client households with children report that their children skipped meals due to a lack of food and money in the previous 12 months.
- In 38% of client households with children, either a parent, a child, or both experience hunger.

Seniors experience hunger in significant numbers:
- 18% of all emergency food recipients are seniors age 50 and over. Additionally, among clients who visit emergency food program sites, 33% are over age 50.
- In 39% of client households with a senior over age 65 39% experience hunger.
- 14% of client households report Social Security is their main source of income; the average income in Alameda County from Social Security is only $12,455 per year.

Households struggle with employment:
- 38% of client households have at least one employed family member.
- 41% of clients not currently working have been unemployed for more than two years.
- 36% of Food Bank clients never finished high school; the comparable percentage for the entire U.S. population is only 15%.

Federal nutrition programs are underutilized:
- 21% of client households receive food stamp benefits while an estimated 70% have incomes that would qualify for the Food Stamp Program. However, 65% of client households report recently applying for food stamps.
- 82% of client households report that their food stamp benefits do not last the entire month; on average food stamps last for 2.4 weeks.
- 45% of client households who have never applied for food stamps say they don’t think that they are eligible because of income or assets; of these households 36% were likely income eligible.

Cost of living skyrockets while wages stagnate:
- 61% of client households have incomes below the federal poverty line.
- The median monthly income of client households is $800; median monthly income for all Alameda County households is $5,144 per month.
- 47% of clients have had to choose between paying for food or rent.

Based on these findings, the Alameda County Community Food Bank makes the following recommendations about alleviating hunger in the community:

Address the root causes of hunger.
Support wages, work, and education
Build affordable communities
Strengthen Government safety net programs
Improve Food Stamp Program and encourage eligible families to participate
Increase and expand child nutrition programs
Expand food Bank services to assist more people in need and enhance existing services

For an executive summary of the local hunger study, contact Kari Martell, (510) 636-4902.