Hunger Data
- 17 million children in the US are living in food insecure households. 4 Nord, et al. Household Food Security in the United States, 2009. USDA ERS: 2010.
- 27.1% of the children in Texas are food insecure according the recent Map, the Meal Gap study, by Feeding America. Texas ranked 11th highest in the US.
- In the same study the rate of food insecurity for children in select Texas Panhandle counties was as follows:
- Potter 28.0%
- Randall 19.6%
- Castro 29.7%
- Deaf Smith 27.5%
- Dallam 22.0%
- Donley 20.1%
- Gray 25.3%
- Hutchinson 24.9%
- Hall 31.3%
- Moore 25.1%
- Parmer 26.5%
- Swisher 22.0%
http://feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/hunger-studies/map-the-meal-gap.aspx
- To qualify for free lunch a family of 4 makes less than $29,965 and for reduce lunch a family of 4 makes less than $42,643 http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-03-23/pdf/2012-7036.pdf
- In Amarillo ISD 64% of the children are on free or reduced lunch
- In Hereford ISD 76% of the children are on free or reduced lunch
- In our pilot program in 2010-11 12-20% of the kids on free and reduced lunch needed the backpack program. (just because you are on f/r lunch does not automatically qualify the child for a Snack Pak)
- Currently we feed 2,400 kids in 34 AISD elementary schools and 2 middle schools.
- Hereford, Bushland, Clarendon, River Road, Lockney, Dalhart, Friona, Tulia, San Antonio, and Fritch ISD also participate in the program.