A brief overview of hunger in Westchester County NY-- an introductory talk to a middle school church school group

1. Hunger in America
Hunger in Westchester

2. POVERTY = HUNGER
Poverty in the suburbs is rising at a more rapid pace than in cities or rural communities

3. Hunger in United States Households

6. Government help: 3 programs
 All have income requirements
SNAP: food stamp program
Helps about 40,000,000 Americans
Must fall at or below ~$23, 800 per year for a family of 3 (2010)
“Benefits, adjusted for income, are loaded monthly onto a government-issued debit
card. Recipients say the money typically lasts a little more than two weeks.”
(New York Times, September 2013)

7. WIC: Special Supplemental; Nutrition Program for Women, Infants & Children
• Infants & children up to age 5 at nutrition risk; women who are pregnant, have
just given birth or are breastfeeding
• Must fall at or below $40, 793 for family of 4 (2010)
National School Lunch Program: free or reduced price
• Reduced price: ~40 cents
Breakfast programs
The other 2 federal programs

8. Hunger in Westchester
The Food Bank for Westchester estimates that around 200,000
Westchester County residents -- about 1 in 5 in the population --
are hungry or at risk of hunger. Half of them seek emergency food
regularly. The other half seek it sporadically.

9. A few factoids
Yorktown Population: 36,081
In 2012, Median household income in Yorktown: $94,762
1.2% live in poverty
Hunger in Westchester
*Median income is the amount that divides the income
distribution into two equal groups, half having income above
that amount, and half having income below that amount.
$94,762

10. • 1/3 of the members of households served by the Food Bank for Westchester are
children under 18 years old
• 8% are children age 0 to 5 years (16,000) (The number of all kids in school in
Yorktown, Somers, & Lakeland= 13,246)
• 58% are female
• 51% are seniors whose fixed incomes cannot keep pace with rising costs
• 41% of households include at least one employed adult
• 66% have incomes below the federal poverty level during the previous month
• 1% are homeless
Hunger in Westchester

11. - A single mom with 2 kids, Marie has a good job as an administrative
assistant at a major corporation in Westchester. At least once a month, Marie visits the
White Plains food pantry to collect three bags of groceries that will help bridge the gap
after paying her rent and utilities and her next paycheck.
- Although he is a student at the top of his class, Joey’s parents have enrolled
him in remedial summer school. Why? Because the program offers a free hot lunch, a
meal that his parents simply can’t provide because they have to pay for utilities instead.
They know in time their incomes will increase, hopefully higher than taxes and basic
expenses, but right now they are barely able to keep their heads above water.
- Since his wife passed away three years ago, Bill has lived alone on a fixed
income. Because his diabetes medication is so expensive, Bill relies on a senior lunch
program for his main meal of the day. He also collects a bag of groceries from the food
pantry once a month. He especially likes the fresh produce.
Some examples of people the Food Bank for Westchester helps
Hunger in Westchester

12. Free or reduced price lunch:
Yorktown: 3700 students; 4% free or reduced lunch= 148 students
Lakeland Schools: 6128 students; 12% free or reduced price lunch= 745
Somers Schools: 3418 students; 5% free lunch=171
Hunger in Westchester
Where we live
A student is eligible to receive free meals if he or she is
in foster care or Head Start,
homeless or migrant
living in a household participating in a federal hunger relief program

13. = 11 Somers: 171 out of 3418

14. = 11 Yorktown 148 of 3700

15. = 22 Lakeland: 745 of 6128

16. 81,400 people annually
14,800 people per week
In Westchester County

17. Are you hungry?

18. Our Food Pantry
2nd & 4th Saturday each month
Bag 1 & Bag 2

19. Yorktown Food Pantry statistics

20. Yorktown Food Pantry Statistics

21. What does hunger
feel like?