Hunger Affects the District of Columbia

Childhood hunger hurts the District's economy by limiting the productivity of the workforce. It limits the effectiveness of our schools because hungry kids can't learn. It may also contribute to other social problems, such as high crime rates, in every part of the city.

Kids go hungry because they lack three basic things:

• Resources: Most childhood hunger is a result of family poverty — low incomes, combined with the high costs of housing, transportation, health care, energy and other necessities, leave too little to keep food on the table.
  
• Access: Even when families have the resources, they sometimes can't get good food to their kids. Many of the poorest District neighborhoods have no ready access to full-service supermarkets or to farmers' markets selling fresh produce — only corner groceries that can't afford to provide fresh vegetables or charge competitive prices.
  
• Information: Many families simply don't know that help is available to them through programs like food stamps or school breakfast. And many more parents don't have the nutrition education they need to get the maximum value out of a limited budget.

The State of Hunger in the District of Columbia

Population (2004)

• Total people: 515,581
• Children (under age 18): 105,808
• Unemployment Rate (FY 2005): 7.7%

Individuals in Poverty (2004)

• Total people living in poverty: 97,148
  • Poverty rate: 18.8%
• Children (under age 18) living in poverty: 35,517
  • Child poverty rate: 33.6%

Food Insecurity Among Households (2002-2004, 3-Year Average)

• Number of households food insecure: 28,000
  • Percent of households food insecure: 10.2%
• Number of households food insecure with hunger: 8,000
  • Percent of households food insecure with hunger: 2.9%

Closing the Gaps

To close these gaps, the Partnership to End Childhood Hunger in the Nation's Capital called together leaders and experts from every part of the District, who worked together to design a plan that addresses this complex issue.