The study, Hunger in America 2006, shows that even though a majority of the hungry people Food Lifeline serves receive an income, 51% must choose between food and paying for heat while 40% must choose between food and rent, or food and medicine or medical care respectively. "We're seeing health-related issues emerge as a leading concern for emergency food recipients," said Linda Nageotte, Food Lifeline President and CEO. According to the study, 31% of the clients Food Lifeline serves do not have health insurance, 26% report having at least one family member in poor health and 19% have been denied medical care because they are unable to pay. "This study highlights just how vulnerable the hungry people of Western Washington really are, and how important it is for the agencies that feed them to have access to a wide variety of nutritious food," said Nageotte. In fact, of the food banks surveyed for the study, 88% said that if they were unable to receive food from a distribution center like Food Lifeline, it would have a significant and devastating impact on their ability to serve clients.

Ironically, the profile for a hungry person in Western Washington continues to defy society's expectations. Nearly 45% of the individuals using a food bank, meal program or shelter in Western Washington have some form of post-secondary education, and only 15% are actually homeless. "This information just confirms what many folks who live in the Pacific Northwest already know - that the cost of living is very high, good, high-paying jobs are not easy to find, and that having a college education doesnt ensure the ability to put food on the table," said Nageotte.

Hunger in America 2006 was commissioned by America's Second Harvest, the largest not-for-profit domestic hunger relief network in the United States, to learn more about hunger. Food Lifeline, the network's Western Washington member, surveyed 301 clients and 179 member agencies to better understand the local face of hunger.

Nageotte added that public officials need to know more about hunger to make informed decisions as they face difficult choices in upcoming budget sessions, while the general public must believe that hunger exists in the United States to become active solution providers.

The national research was conducted and evaluated by Mathematica Policy Research, one of the nation's preeminent social policy research firms, which also evaluated local and national results. Nationwide, more than 52,000 low-income people provided face-to-face interviews addressing questions about their income and the difficult choices they have to make to feed their families.

For more information about Food Lifeline, visit the website at www.foodlifeline.org.

For additional materials, including the full Western Washington Hunger in America 2006 study and Western Washington Key Findings in chart and table form, please call (206) 545-6600, ext. 255 or go directly to Food Lifeline's website.

About Food Lifeline
Food Lifeline is the largest non-profit food bank distribution agency in Washington. Last year the organization delivered more than 21 million pounds of food to hungry people through its network of more than 250 neighborhood food banks, hot meal programs, shelters and other food providers. Food Lifeline is also a certified member of America's Second Harvest national food bank network.

Contact Information
Contact: Holly Firmin
Food Lifeline Marketing/PR Coordinator
(206) 545-6600, ext. 255
HollyF@fll.org


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