The extra amount of money that people facing hunger said they need to have enough food reached its highest point in the last 20 years, according to Feeding America’s annual Map the Meal Gap study.
At the local level, Map the Meal Gap finds that more than 84,000 people in Food Finders Food Bank’s 16-county service area are food insecure. Food Finders is part of Feeding America’s nationwide food bank network.
Map the Meal Gap is the only study that provides local-level estimates of food insecurity and food costs for every county and congressional district. The study builds upon the USDA’s latest report of national and state data, which showed a sharp increase in food insecurity in 2022 amidst historically high food prices and the expiration of many pandemic-era programs. Map the Meal Gap emphasizes the urgent call for all of us to take action.
“The insights from this year’s study confirm what we hear from people facing hunger: elevated living expenses, especially food prices, are worsening hunger in America,” said Kier Crites Muller, president/CEO of Food Finders Food Bank. “Food insecurity is much too complex for any one individual to tackle. It does not exist in a vacuum: people who face challenges accessing enough food also face challenges affording adequate housing, healthcare, transportation and other basic needs.”
In Montgomery County, 14.6%, or 1 in 7 neighbors, are experiencing food insecurity. This includes 17.3%, or 1 in 6 children.
“When we listen to people facing hunger and understand how hunger shows up locally, we can better invest in our communities, drive policy change, and more, to end hunger across North Central Indiana and across the nation,” Crites Muller said. “Together, we can unite to create a future where we all have access to the food and resources we need to thrive.”
The Map the Meal Gap study is supported by Conagra Brands Foundation and NielsenIQ/NIQ. Additional key takeaways from the report can be found on the Map the Meal Gap website along with an interactive map that details food insecurity by geography, income, race, and ethnicity.
To learn how food insecurity impacts the community, visit FeedingAmerica.org/MaptheMealGap.
For more information about Food Finders Food Bank and how to help end hunger in our 16-county service area, visit https://www.food-finders.org/.
