Food insecurity has emerged as a highly prevalent risk to the growth, health, cognitive, and behavioral potential of America’s low-income children (www.feedingamerica.org). What exactly is food insecurity? The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines it as a household’s lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy lifestyle for all household members as well as limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate foods. A family experiencing food insecurity may appear to have enough food at times, but has scarcely stocked cupboards of cheap, empty calorie food at other times. Food insecurity not only affects the poorest, unemployed families. Many families who struggle to consistently put food on the table are fully employed, but in low paying jobs that require juggling bills and making choices about which necessities to prioritize until the next paycheck.
In a community where many see an abundance of resources (in addition to relenting information about childhood obesity), it is challenging to believe that there is a real, systemic problem. Despite regular media attention, billboards, and community engagement through food collection drives, hunger (and childhood hunger in particular) has been increasing in Mecklenburg County. This report documents the issue with data, trends, existing resources, and ideas for confronting the challenge. (author introduction)