• In Minnesota, 380,000 people (7.1%) are food insecure, hungry or at risk of hunger. [1]
• There were over 1.7 million visits to Minnesota food shelves in 2005. [2]
• A quarter of a million Minnesotans use food stamps, but only 69% of those eligible (based on poverty level) took advantage of the program. [3]
• In the Channel One service area, 38,400 individuals seek emergency food assistance each year from one of 79 hunger-relief agencies that we serve. Approximately 7,900 different people receive assistance in any given week. [4]
• According to Hunger in America, a comprehensive national study of people served by hunger relief agencies, local program participants reported having to choose between food and other necessities: [4]
  • 43% reported having to choose between paying for food and paying for utilities or heating fuel.
  • 44% had to choose between paying for food and paying their rent or mortgage.
  • 34% had to choose between paying for food and paying for medicine or medical care.

• 33% of the members of households served by Channel One are children under 18 years of age; 14% of the household members are children age 0-5. [4]
• An estimated 1 in 10 children in Minnesota live in poverty, and 1 in 3 qualify for free and reduced lunches (based on low income guidelines). [5]
• Children make up a disproportionate share of the poor (17.6%) compared to the general population (12.5%). [6]
• Research indicates that even mild under nutrition experienced by young children during critical periods of growth impacts the behavior of children, their school performance, and their overall cognitive development. [7]
• Each summer, the Channel One Food Shelf and other food shelves served by Channel One see a dramatic spike in demand for food assistance during the summer months. This increased demand is attributed to children being out of school and unable to access the free and reduced lunch and breakfast programs through the public schools. [8]

• Two out of five seniors will fall below the poverty line at some point between the ages of 60 and 90. [9]
• Of those 65 and over, 10.5% of Minnesota seniors live in poverty. [10]
• Of the 87,000 Minnesota seniors that qualify for assistance through the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, only 14,000 can receive assistance because of federal funding limits. [11]
• Seniors require greater consideration towards their health and medical needs that can become compromised when there is not enough food to eat.  A study which examined the health and nutritional status of seniors found that food insecure seniors had significantly lower intakes of vital nutrients in their diets when compared to their food secure counterparts.  In addition, food insecure seniors were 2.33 times more likely to report fair/poor health status and had higher nutritional risk. [12]
• For seniors, protecting oneself from food insecurity and hunger is more difficult than for the general population.  For example, a study that focused on the experience of food insecurity among the elderly population found that food insecure seniors sometimes had enough money to purchase food but did not have the resources to access or prepare food due to lack of transportation, functional limitations, or health problems. [13]

• Poverty level for a family of four is defined as $19,350 annually, compared to the average annual wage in Minnesota of $46.249. [14]
• The fasting growing group of food shelf clients are the working poor: 49% of households served by Channel One or one of our agencies include at least one employed adult. [4]
• If food stamp usage in Minnesota were 100% of those eligible, the additional revenue to Minnesota from the federal government would total almost $104 million annually. [15]
• According to the most recent survey on hunger and homelessness conducted by the Conference of Mayors, 34 percent of adults requesting emergency food assistance were employed.  In addition, 13 of the 27 cities surveyed cited low-paying jobs as an influencing factor towards hunger in their area. [16]

Most of the counties and towns served by Channel One are considered rural areas. Challenges facing rural areas greatly differ from metro/urban areas: [17]

• Employment is more concentrated in low-wage industries
• Unemployment and underemployment are greater
• Education levels are lower
• Work support services, such as flexible and affordable child care and public transportation, are less available
• The rural market place offers less access to communication and transportation network to companies [18]
• The rural market place offers companies less access to activities that foster administration, research and development

1. Household Food Security in the United States, 2003. ERS, USDA
2. Minnesota FoodShare, Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches
3. Minnesota Department of Human Services, 2004
4. Hunger in America 2006, Channel One Food Bank and Food Shelf
5. Kids Count (CDF), 2000 census special report. Nation School Lunch Program Data, Food and Nutrition Service, USDA, 2004
6. U.S. Census Bureau, 2003 and 2004 Supplements
7. United States Department of Agriculture, Office of Analysis, Nutrition and Evaluation. Characteristics of Food Stamp Households: Fiscal Year 2004, September 2005.
8. Channel One Food Bank and Food Shelf annual statistics.
9. Hunger and Food Insecurity Among the Elderly; Brandeis University
10. U.S. Census Bureau, 2000
11. National CSFP Assn. 2006 Budget Report
12. Lee JS, Frongillo, Jr. EA.  Nutritional and health consequences are associated with food insecurity among U.S. elderly persons.
13. Wolfe WS, Frongillo EA, Valois P.  Understanding the experience of food insecurity by elders suggests ways to improve its measurement.
14. Minnesota Office of the State Demographer, 2005
15. Minnesota Department of Human Services, 2004. Calculation based on the average monthly benefit multiplied by the number of people eligible but not participating in the program.
16. The United States Conference of Mayors/Sodexho USA. Hunger and Homelessness Survey: A Status Report on Hunger and Homelessness in America’s Cities. December 2004.
17. U.S. Department of Agriculture/Economic Research Service, Rural Welfare Reform: Lessons Learned.  Amber Waves, June 2003
18. U.S. Department of Agriculture/Economic Research Service, Low-Skill Employment and the Changing Economy of Rural America.