Arizona Food Insecurity Rising

The United States Department of Agriculture says that more than 15% of Arizona households do not have consistent, dependable access to enough food for active, healthy living. That’s a 5% increase from the last report.

Public News Service says that Arizona food banks are seeing a lot of families who have lost their jobs and exhausted their savings as the recession continues.

Fortunately, donations to the state’s food banks are holding up well, in spite of the record demand for emergency food boxes.

More than 1600 Arizona households were polled for the annual USDA survey.

More Than Eight Percent of Older Arizonans Face Hunger

A new report from the AARP Foundation says that nearly 9 million Americans 50 and older face the risk of hunger. This includes more than 8.6% of older Arizonans.

The Foundation announced the new research at the Meals on Wheels Association of America conference in Chicago. It is working with hunger relief organizations to combat the growing problem of hunger among older Americans.

To learn more or download a copy of the policy brief or full report, visit www.aarp.org.

For more information about hunger among older Americans, visit www.drivetoendhunger.org.

AARP’s four-part online documentary series, “Hungry in America,” is available here.

Arizona Among Worst States for Family Food Hardship

A new report from the Food Research and Action Center says that Arizona is among the lowest ranking states when it comes to families’ ability to put food on the table.

Public News Service reports that Arizona tied with Louisiana for seventh worst. 29% of Arizona families with children say they ran out of money to buy food at least once in the past year.

Arizona Communty Action Association program manager Katie Kahle says the number of Arizonans receiving SNAP benefits—formerly known as food stamps—is still rising, now at 1.1 million people.

Click here for the report.