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23.4 Percent of Alabama Households Unable to Afford Enough Food in 2011

Wednesday, March 14th, 2012

Report finds Alabama 2nd hungriest state in the nation, Birmingham 12th hungriest metro area

BIRMINGHAM – According to the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), 23.4 percent of respondents in Alabama in 2011 said they didn’t have enough money to buy food that they or their family needed at some point during the prior twelve months.

FRAC’s February Food Hardship in America – 2011 report provides data on food hardship, which is the inability to afford enough food. Findings include:

o Statewide, 23.4 percent of households said they were unable to afford enough food, which is the second highest rate in the country.

o The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) had a food hardship rate of 21.3 percent, which is the 12th highest rate among the nation’s 100 largest MSAs.

o The 7th Congressional District reported 27.2 percent food hardship, which is the highest in the state and 23rd highest in the country.

o The 6th Congressional District reported 16.3 percent food hardship, which is the only Alabama congressional district below the national average.

“Many Alabamians have told us that they are having trouble affording groceries, and this data substantiates their personal stories,” said Alabama Poverty Project Executive Director Kristina Scott.

The data were gathered as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index project, which interviewed 1,000 households daily since January 2008. Specific to this analysis, people were asked, “Have there been times in the past twelve months when you did not have enough money to buy food that you or your family needed?” FRAC analyzed the data gathered by Gallup.

“Having enough food to eat is the most basic of human needs. However, we can’t food bank our way out of poverty and hunger. In these tough fiscal times, it is more important than ever to address the systems that cause food hardship. I challenge lawmakers and communities to support sustainable solutions so that our neighbors can meet their own needs,” said Scott.

The full report is available at www.frac.org.

About the Alabama Poverty Project

Alabama is the third poorest state in the nation, with 18.9 percent of households subsisting below the poverty line. The Alabama Poverty Project (APP) is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to reducing systemic poverty through strategic relationships with faith communities, higher education institutions and civic organizations. For information and resources, visit our website, http://alabamapossible.org.

Tags: advocacy, alabama, Birmingham, Black Belt, community development, food bank, food pantry, food security, hunger, mobile, poverty
Posted in civic engagement, community, Economics & Employment, Fighting Poverty with Faith, Hunger and Food Insecurity, Hunger and Food Security, Making A Difference | No Comments »

Give the power of possibilities with APP’s 2011 Holiday Gift Memberships

Tuesday, December 6th, 2011

Alabama-made goat cheese. Home-grown pepper jelly. And the power to end poverty.

Our Alabama Possible campaign is about the power we have to ensure every Alabamian achieves their potential.

That’s why we have teamed up with two Alabama treasures – Elkmont’s Belle Chèvre Cheese and Thomaston’s Alabama Rural Heritage Center – for our 2011 gift membership premium.

For your donation of $50 or more, we’ll mail your honoree a gift box with Belle Chèvre fromage blanc and the Rural Heritage Center’s Mama Nem’s red pepper jelly along with a special note acknowledging your gift and their membership in APP supporting of our work mobilizing Alabamians to eliminate poverty.

Order here by midnight on Tuesday, December 20, to make sure your gift arrives on time. Payment accepted via Paypal only. Call 205-939-1408 with any questions.

Tags: Alabama Rural Heritage Center, Belle Chevre, Christmas, fundraiser, goat cheese, Hanukkah, holiday gifts, Mama Nem's, pepper jelly
Posted in Fighting Poverty with Faith, Hunger and Food Insecurity, Hunger and Food Security, Making A Difference, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Press Release: Nearly 1/3 of Alabama households with children unable to afford enough food during 2009-10

Thursday, August 11th, 2011

Hunger impacts children’s ability to concentrate, learn in school

Nearly one-third, or 32 percent, of households with children in Alabama reported not having enough money to buy food that they or their family needed at some point during the prior twelve months, according to a new report released by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), Food Hardship in America 2010: Households with and without Children.

This report provides data on food hardship – the inability to afford enough food. During 2009-10:

32 percent of Alabama households with children said they were unable to afford enough food, the second highest among the 50 states.
The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) households with children had a food hardship rate of 23.4 percent in 2010, the 10^th highest rate among the nation’s 100 largest MSAs.
In the 7^th Congressional District, 45.0 percent of households with children reported food hardship, the highest in the state and the 3^rd highest in the nation.
In the 1^st Congressional District, 34.8 percent of households with children reported food hardship, the 2^nd highest in the state and the 19^th highest in the nation.
In the 2^nd Congressional District, 33.1 percent of households with children reported food hardship, 3^rd highest in the state and the 32^nd highest in the nation.

“When children don’t have enough to eat, they have a harder time concentrating and performing well in school,” said Kristina Scott, Executive Director of the Alabama Poverty Project. “Research indicates that for young children, even mild undernutrition negatively impacts their behavior, their school performance, and their overall cognitive development.”

The data were gathered as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. Specific to this analysis, people were asked, “Have there been times in the past twelve months when you did not have enough money to buy food that you or your family needed?” The data gathered by Gallup were analyzed by FRAC.

“Hunger is not always visible, and thus people may be skeptical that it exists in their communities. This report bears witness to the fact that Alabamians struggle to feed their families,” said Scott.

The full report is available at www.frac.org

Posted in Census Stats on Poverty, community, education, environment, health, Hunger and Food Insecurity, Hunger and Food Security, Making A Difference, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Sowing the Seeds of a Bountiful Harvest

Monday, August 8th, 2011

Amid news that nearly one-third of Alabamians received food stamps during May, we wanted to highlight some of the work our Higher Education Members are doing to increase food security in their communities.

We recently visited with Dennis and Dean Itson of Faulkner University, who showed us their community garden.

When asked what the garden’s mission is, Director of Service-Learning Dennis Itson replied, “Our mission is to feed the elderly and those in need.”

Nearly 100 senior citizens live in apartments adjacent to the university. In addition to feeding them, the garden serves as a form of therapy and spiritual renewal too.

The garden also serves the educational needs of nearby elementary schools and college science classes, who go to the garden to learn about science and conduct experiments

Dennis stresses the vital role that volunteers have played in the success of the garden. “People have volunteered their time, seeds, plants, money, tractors, and even their land to make this garden a reality and success,” states Dennis. Volunteers include students, faculty and staff, and even local residents, schools, churches, and community groups.

The garden sits upon a 70 x 35 foot plot. It includes corn, cucumbers, eggplants, green beans, okra, onions, peppers, rosemary, squash, watermelons, and others vegetables, and has helped feed nearly eighty residents.

Dennis holds big plans for the garden’s future. He plans to increase its size by adding a second plot of land. Faulkner will also offer a gardening class in the fall.

All in all, our trip to the garden proved a great success. Who would have known that such a simple idea would spark such a successful response? In addition to learning about the garden and its achievements, Dennis also taught us a thing or two about gardening. Dennis has a big heart, and he loves his community. We thank him for hosting us and for sharing with us the garden.

To learn more about the garden, check out these news reports: WFSA 12 News Montgomery and the Montgomery Advertiser.

To learn more about community gardens, check out these resources.

To learn more about poverty and food insecurity in Alabama, check out this resource.

Tags: community garden, Dennis Itson, Faulkner University, food security, food stamps, Senior Citizens, service-learning, volunteers
Posted in civic engagement, Hunger and Food Security | No Comments »

How to volunteer: phone banking, donation centers, feeding units and more

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

The Birmingham News yesterday reported that relief agencies are getting fewer volunteers than needed. Are you looking for a volunteer opportunity that will fit your skill level and schedule? Watch our short videos below to hear from real volunteers about what they’re doing.

CALL CENTERS: The North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church emergency call center fields calls from people in need of assistance and groups interested in volunteering (toll-free 1-855-862-8657). They still need volunteers to field calls and help organize volunteer groups. Many other organizations, including the United Way and local church groups, can also use help fielding calls.

DONATION SORTING: One of the largest donation centers operating in central Alabama is Christian Service Mission. Below, director Tracy Hipps discusses his organization’s efforts in sorting and distributing relief goods to those in need. CSM still needs volunteers to sort donations, drive trucks and deliver supplies daily.

FEEDING UNITS: The Birmingham Baptist Association works with the Red Cross to prepare and distribute meals to storm victims and cleanup teams. If you’re looking for a long-term volunteering commitment, you can sign up to receive specialized training from Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief to work on one of their feeding trucks, which feeds tens of thousands of people every day.

DEBRIS CLEANUP AND REBUILDING: Hands on Birmingham connects volunteer groups to work opportunities in the areas most affected by the storms. You can register at their website to find more debris cleanup and other volunteering opportunities in central Alabama. Or, call 2-1-1 to hear about similar opportunities near you.

Want to connect to similar opportunities in your area? Find more volunteer and donation sites at our Tornado Relief Page.

Posted by Stuart Norman

Tags: Birmingham Baptist Association, Christian Service Mission, Hands on Birmingham, North Alabama United Methodist Church, Southern Baptists Disaster Relief, tornadoes, Volunteering
Posted in civic engagement, community, Fighting Poverty with Faith, housing, Hunger and Food Security, Making A Difference | No Comments »

25.2 percent of households in Alabama unable to afford enough food in 2010

Thursday, March 3rd, 2011

25.2 percent of respondents in Alabama in 2010 reported not having enough money to buy food that they or their family needed at some point during the prior twelve months, according to a report today released by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), “Food Hardship in America – 2010.”

This report provides data on food hardship, which is the inability to afford enough food. It found that:

In 2010, 25.2 percent of households in Alabama said they were unable to afford enough food, the second highest rate in the country.
The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) had a food hardship rate of 23.4 percent in 2010, the 11^th highest rate among the nation’s 100 largest MSAs.
The 7th Congressional District reported 29.3 percent food hardship, the highest in the state and the 7th highest in the country.
The 6th Congressional district reported an 18.3 percent food hardship rate, the lowest in the state. However, that is still higher than the national average of 18 percent.

“This report shows that hunger impacts every corner of Alabama,” said Kristina Scott of the Alabama Poverty Project (APP). “Our neighbors are experiencing real pain.”

The data were gathered as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index project, which has been interviewing 1,000 households daily since January 2008. Specific to this analysis, people were asked, “Have there been times in the past twelve months when you did not have enough money to buy food that you or your family needed?” The data gathered by Gallup were analyzed by FRAC.

“The data in this report show that food hardship – running out of money to buy the food that families need – is a substantial challenge in every corner of this country,” said Jim Weill, President of FRAC. “With persistently high unemployment and underemployment across the nation, we have to strengthen programs that benefit those who are struggling.”

“We must build our community food resources so that Alabamians have enough to eat. In these tough fiscal times, it is more important than ever to address the structural causes of poverty and hunger. I challenge lawmakers and communities to create systems so that people can meet their own needs,” said Scott.

The full report is available at www.frac.org.

Food hardship in Alabama’s congressional districts, 2010:

7th Congressional district – 29.3 percent
4th Congressional district – 27 percent
3rd Congressional district – 25.8 percent
1st Congressional district – 25.1 percent
2nd Congressional district – 24.8 percent
5th Congressional district – 21.2 percent
6th Congressional district – 18.3 percent

Posted by Robyn Hyden

Tags: 2nd hungriest state, food hardship, FRAC
Posted in Economics & Employment, health, Hunger and Food Security | 2 Comments »

Join the childhood nutrition discussion

Thursday, February 10th, 2011

Michelle Obama celebrated the first anniversary of Let’s Move! yesterday on the Today Show.

Let’s Move! is a national campaign that promotes healthy, active lifestyles for American kids. After her Today Show appearance, Mrs. Obama spoke at a church in Alpharetta, Georgia, recalling some of the past year’s successes while challenging attendees to continue working for childhood nutrition.

“As far as we’ve come, when nearly one in three kids in this country is still overweight or obese, then we’ve still got a long way to go,” she said.

One of Let’s Move’s biggest successes of the past year was the newly signed Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (PDF) that has promised a $4.5 billion increase in funding for the National School Lunch Program and other child nutrition programs over the next 10 years.

This newly signed act also gives the USDA the authority to set nutritional standards for all foods regularly sold in schools. Standards include:

Calorie limits in school meals
Reducing sodium by more than half
Banning most trans fats
Increased servings of fruits and vegetables
Requiring all milk to be low fat or nonfat
Requiring all flavored milks to be nonfat
Eventually requiring all grains to be whole grains

These changes will have a major impact on Alabama students, since more than half are currently enrolled in the Free or Reduced Lunch Program, and nearly one in four live below the federal poverty line. School breakfasts and lunches are the primary source of nutrition for many of these kids. The new guidelines mean they will have access to more nutritious, wholesome foods.

We hope you will join the conversation about improving the school lunch program – and that’s why we’re screening Lunch Line this Sunday, February 13 at 3 p.m. at the Bama Theater in Tuscaloosa. Lunch Line is a fun, informative documentary about the history, opportunities and challenges of the school lunch program.

The screening will be followed by a Taste $2.72 reception featuring food from local favorites including Mug Shots, Surin, Roly Poly, Newk’s, Don Rafa’s Mexican Grill, Mellow Mushroom, and more. Tuscaloosa lunchrooms are reimbursed $2.72 for each lunch served, and we want to give you an idea of how far that can go.

Advance tickets are available here, or you can purchase tickets using cash or check at the door. Tickets are $5 for students and $15 for adults. Kids 5 and under are free.

We hope to see you on Sunday!

posted by T.C. McLemore

Tags: 2nd most obese state, 4th most diabetic state, healthy kids healthy communities, hunger, let's move, lunch line, school lunch, tuscaloosa
Posted in education, Hunger and Food Security | 1 Comment »

Mobile faith communities network to fight hunger

Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011

Seven months after we visited Mobile for our Hunger Workshop last June, friends there are continuing to make huge strides in fighting hunger.

Oak McCullough of the Bay Area Food Bank spoke about their innovative emergency food distribution programs.

“Your conference had a major impact,” says Diane Baldwin, pastor at Georgetown-Chunchula UMC. “It created a better network, brought us closer to other projects in the area, and it showed us different ideas and people we could go to.”

James Miles of the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service shared resources for community gardeners.

Rev. Jean Tippit agrees that the workshop had a positive impact. “That information you gave us [on poverty and health] was some of the most eye-opening information I have ever heard,” she says. “[APP Americorps VISTA] Haley Heckman’s testimony about going on food stamps was very powerful. It was a good day.”

Here are a few of the projects we’re hearing about from Hunger Workshop attendees:

- Rev. Baldwin reports that her congregation has developed a comprehensive food assistance ministry in Chunchula, including:

mobile food pantries, which they operate with the Bay Area Food Bank, distributing 5,000-6,000 pounds of food per day;
a drive-through food pantry which serves about 100 families at a time, who schedule a time in advance to drive by and pick up 60 pound boxes of food;
opportunities for clients to meet DHR representatives to learn about SNAP and other longer-term government food assistance programs;
snack backpacks for school kids who are at risk of hunger to take home over the weekend;
an emergency food pantry for community members who are in immediate need; and,
regular food deliveries to elderly shut-ins.

- Rev. Mark Renn’s congregation at Providence Presbyterian is partnering with churches in Pritchard and downtown Mobile to help plant more church gardens, bringing fresh produce and food assistance to even more communities.

Mark Renn shared fresh produce with Hunger Workshop participants last June.

- Rev. Jean Tippit of Grace United Methodist Church brought her 3.0 missional interns to the workshop and recruited many of them to work in a local community garden. One of the 3.0 alumna, Stephanie Bamberg, has since started the “We Got Your Back” backpack snack program for low-income students in Bibb County.

- Another 3.0 intern, Porsche Holland, went to work with the Dumas Wesley community center which has now founded its own community garden. They were able to connect with the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service after hearing about them through the hunger workshop. Now ACES is a key partner in planning, constructing and training for the garden.

- Rev. Baldwin also organized supporters from our Hunger Workshop to help the Bay Area Food Bank receive a $100,000 grant to fund innovative food delivery systems like the mobile food pantries.

It all goes to show you that sometimes you just need to get the right group of people in a room together!

We hope to return to Mobile in April to highlight some more of the great work going on along the coast – stay tuned for details.

Posted by Robyn Hyden

Tags: bay area food bank, chunchula, food assistance, food bank, food pantry, Hunger Workshop, mobile, mobile food pantry
Posted in Fighting Poverty with Faith, Hunger and Food Security, Making A Difference | 2 Comments »

Rural families depend on child nutrition programs

Thursday, January 6th, 2011

The Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity has posted a Q & A about child nutrition programs and rural families.

Below, Marybeth Mattingly of the Carsey Institute discusses why these programs are so important:

Untitled from Spotlight on Vimeo.

One report finds that participation rates in child nutrition programs are highest in the rural South. According to the Carsey Institute’s report, “More than one-quarter of all rural households with children in the south, for example, participate in the national school Lunch Program, and about 23 percent participate in the school Breakfast Program.”

Posted by Robyn Hyden

Tags: child nutrition program, federal funding, rural poverty, school lunch
Posted in Hunger and Food Security | No Comments »

The $17,910 thank you note

Monday, December 27th, 2010

During 2010, faith and individual donors have given $17,910 in gifts to the Alabama Poverty Project. That puts us just $1,090 shy of our goal. Simply amazing!

We are immensely grateful to partners like you for working to make our community better. You inspire us and constantly remind us that together we have incredible power to end poverty.

I hope you had a chance to participate in our programs this year. Some of the highlights included:

The Blueprints College Access Initiative launched in Hueytown, Marion and Montevallo (above). Thank you for helping us equip these high schol students to choose college or vocational school.

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread: A Hunger and Food Security Workshop united partners to discuss the long-term, sustainable solutions to end hunger. Thank you for helping us mobilize faith communities to fight poverty.

The Alabama Possible Summit brought together faith partners to show that through reciprocal, relationship-based ministry, we can end poverty. Thank you for helping us highlight their stories.

The Lifetime of Learning Conference invited members of our Higher Education Alliance to connect college access, student retention and service-learning. Thank you for helping us increase educational attainment in Alabama.

Screenings of the film Lunch Line sparked discussions about the 31 million children served daily by the Child Nutrition Program. Thank you for helping us bring this documentary to Alabama.

We have just 4 more days to raise $1,090. Please ensure that we have the resources to continue our work together by making a contribution today.

Thank you,

Kristina Scott

Executive Director

Tags: blueprints, fundraising, higher education alliance, Hunger Workshop, lunch line, philanthropy
Posted in civic engagement, education, Hunger and Food Security, Making A Difference | No Comments »