Status Report on Hunger in Rhode Island 2010

The Food Bank's Status Report on Hunger in Rhode Island shows that since the prolonged economic recession began, there has been a 45% increase in the number of people seeking help putting food on the table. According to a recent study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 13.7% of all Rhode Islanders are at-risk of hunger – the highest level since the USDA began tracking the statistic.

We produce the Status Report annually to document the extent of food insecurity and hunger in Rhode Island. Currently, our network of emergency food pantries provide food assistance to more than 55,000 people each month.

Major Findings of the Report:

• The prevalence of hunger in Rhode Island is 13.7 percent, affecting 58,000 households.
• Emergency food programs and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs) benefits reach record numbers of people to help cushion the blow of the recession.
• Additional steps should be taken to improve access to nutritious meals for people in need. For example, by serving breakfast in the classroom at the start of the day, schools can feed many more hungry children.

There is widespread need in our state. During this period of skyrocketing increase, the number of emergency food programs has not gone up; existing programs are simply serving more people. While these programs are at capacity, government sponsored nutrition programs such as SNAP, and WIC, can scale up to serve more people in a time of increased need. Right now, more than 150,000 Rhode Islanders, one in seven, receive SNAP benefits. 

By taking full advantage of these reliable federal nutrition programs and the resilient network of the Food Bank and its Member Agencies, we can end hunger in Rhode Island.