Food Insecurity

Food insecurity, defined as limited or uncertain access to adequate food, is a major issue within American society today. According to a report by the USDA, more than 34 million Americans experienced hunger in 2019. This issue has only gotten worse due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Feeding America estimated that in 2020 alone, 45 million Americans, including 15 million children, experienced food insecurity. Unfortunately, food insecurity is a chronic problem that did not disappear with the pandemic. According to Feeding America, 49 million Americans turned to food banks and community programs for food. We seek to bring awareness to this understated problem and advocate for policies to combat this crisis. 

Military families

Napoleon famously declared that “an army marches on its stomach.” Yet while we count on our soldiers to defend our country, many military and veteran families in America struggle with food security. In 2019, the Military Family Advisory Network found that 15.3% of U.S. military families struggled for food, and 12.7% were food insecure per the USDA standard. As the pandemic and economic recession ravaged America in 2020, nearly 40% of active-duty military families experienced food insecurity.

Even prior to the pandemic, many military families had to rely heavily on food pantries and other charity programs to put food on the table. In certain instances, faulty laws prevent some military families from receiving food assistance from the federal government, further diminishing their ability to secure access to food. Due to the constant moving and inability to transfer licenses from one state to another, military spouses suffer a significantly higher unemployment rate than the others, struggle to accumulate workplace seniority, and are often among the first to be let go.

Important Facts and Statistics

  • More than 34 million Americans are currently food insecure (USDA)
  • In 2020, 45 million Americans, including 15 million children, experienced food insecurity (Feeding America)
  • Black, Latino, and Native Americans have a much higher rate of food insecurity (Feeding America)
  • In 2022, one in six military and veteran families were food insecure. In 2019, 15.3% of U.S. military families struggled for food, and 12.7% were food insecure per the USDA standard (Military Family Advisory Network)
  • Rural America has a substantially higher rate of food insecurity (Coleman-Jensen Report)
  • According to a survey by the Greater Boston Food Bank, 1.6 million people in the Commonwealth report they are struggling to get enough to eat during the pandemic. That’s an increase of 55% from 2019 to 2020, with people of color and families with children being disproportionately impacted.