WASHINGTON — A new report from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) showed that food insecurity is on the rise nationwide, with 13.5 percent of households being food insecure at least some time during 2023.
According to the USDA, that number is up from 2022, when 12.8 percent of households reported food insecurity.
Florida also saw an increase in food insecurity statewide from 2021 to 2023. Other states, including Arkansas, California, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, New York, Oregon, South Carolina, and Texas, also saw increases during that period.
In 2023, 18 million households were food insecure nationwide, the USDA found. The report surveyed one adult per household about experiences and behaviors that could indicate food insecurity. Based on the responses, the household's food insecurity status was determined.
The USDA examined the difference between households with and without children. Depending on whether the questions they answered met the threshold for each category, they also examined the difference between food insecurity and "very low" food insecurity among those households.
The report showed that more households with children struggled with food insecurity in 2023 than households without children. While the USDA said it is more accurate to examine the number of "food insecure persons" reported in those households since some adults will go hungry to ensure the children eat, there were still instances of children being food insecure.
The report noted that the percentage of food-insecure children stayed statistically similar from 2022 to 2023, going from 8.8 percent to 8.9 percent. Those numbers were both up from 2021 when 6.2 percent was reported.
While no reason was given for the jump, 2021 was also the first full year of the pandemic, with many kids and parents still at home, stimulus checks had been issued, and the child tax credit had been increased.
Overall, when looking at which Americans struggled most with food insecurity, the USDA said these groups were affected the most:
- All households with children (17.9 percent)
- Households with children under age 6 (17.9 percent)
- Households with children headed by a single female (34.7 percent) or single male (22.6 percent)
- Women living alone (16.2 percent)
- Households with Black, non-Hispanic (23.3 percent) and Hispanic (21.9 percent) household reference persons
- Households with incomes below 100% the poverty threshold (38.7 percent)
- Households in principal cities (15.9 percent)
- Households in the South (14.7 percent)
To address food insecurity, Farm Share is teaming up with You Thrive to offer food giveaways in Hernando County.
That's where we found Marisa Quigley, who said she is doing her best these days just to get by.
“Tough times call for strong people. And I know we are being strengthened through this time," she said.
She said she is having trouble finding a job, and it’s terrible timing, as grocery prices are higher than ever.
“I have the Walmart app, and I went back a couple of years to previous orders. And there is an option to reorder the same exact things. And it’s double. It’s double. If not a little more," Quigley said.
That’s why Marisa said it’s so helpful to get a car full of food, thanks to Farm Share, Florida’s largest food bank. They teamed up with You Thrive to host a drive-thru even for people dealing with food insecurity.
Farm Share said it works with local farmers to redistribute produce that would otherwise be thrown away due to aesthetic imperfections.
“We don’t want nutrition to the wayside when we are talking about being able to give back to some families," said You Thrive public affairs manager Jorge Flores.
“I’ve heard this is more of a farmers market, which is really great because a lot of the pantries are giving you food that is just not healthy for you. And it’s not good for you," said Quigley.
Marisa is glad there are events like this to keep her pantry stocked.
“This is very special. It’s special for the people that are working it, because what a great opportunity to give back. And how wonderful it is for a place for people to come who are struggling," said Quigley.
You Thrive has these events on the first Friday of every month around Hernando County.
A state report says hundreds of frail elderly nursing home residents were stacked side by side, head to toe in a small church with no working air conditioning or refrigerator during Hurricane Helene.
