The image of a hungry person has changed over time. While pictures of homeless men wearing tattered clothing have unfortunately not diminished, it has been dramatically altered. People standing on lines for food assistance are also families, seniors and working people. Many are either unemployed, existing mostly on public assistance checks or working for wages so low they must decide whether to pay the rent or buy food for their families.

Today,more and more Montanans must rely on emergency food programs food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters to put food on the table for their families. The vast majority are women and children, the elderly, working poor and people with disabilities.

For more information, read the Hungry in Montana 2008 survey.

What is Hunger?
While food banks and federal nutrition programs have made severe hunger and malnutrition rare in this country, millions of low-income Americans are still faced with food insecurity.

Food insecurity
The inability to access food in a consistent and socially acceptable manner to meet the family's nutritional needs. Food insecurity is characterized by not having the financial means to buy food or grow food, the need for emergency food assistance, and adults skipping meals. Food insecurity exists when the availability of nutritionally adequate food or the ability to access it on a consistent basis is uncertain or limited.

Hunger
The condition where both adults and children cannot access food consistently and have to reduce food intake, eat poor diets and often go without any food. Hunger is also defined as the uneasy or painful sensation when it is caused by lack of food.

Malnutrition
A serious health impairment that results from substandard nutrient intake. Malnutrition may result from a lack of food, a chronic shortage of key nutrients, or impaired absorption and metabolism associated with chronic conditions or diseases.

Who is Hungry?
Key figures from our 2008 “Hungry in Montana” Client Survey
• 308,934 Montanans are considered at risk of food insecurity. That’s 30% of the populations, or 3 people out of 10.

They are:

The Working Poor
A significant portion of our population suffers not from unemployment, but from low wages that don't support the ever-increasing cost of living. Low wages are one of the primary reasons why Montanans run out of money for food, especially when other expenses like heating, health care costs, and housing compete for every dollar.

Children
20 percent of Montana's children live in poverty. It is not uncommon for low-income parents to skip meals so there will be enough food to feed their children. When children are also skipping meals, this is an indication of a severe hunger problem. A survey of food pantry clients across Montana showed that 16 percent of children had also skipped meals.

Seniors
Many seniors live on meager pensions or Social Security and are forced to make tough choices between food, housing and medical bills. In addition, seniors have among the lowest food stamp participation rates and often only receive the minimum benefit, which is $10 per month.

• 62.7% of clients surveyed at emergency food sites have had to choose between food and fuel, 49.8% between food and rent, and 43.6% between food and medicine.

• 48.3% of adults surveyed had to skip meals because there wasn’t enough money for food. Among those adults, 47.2% live in households with children.

• 46.5% of clients were employed, and the majority of unemployed clients were either looking for work or were unable to work due to disability or poor health.

In Montana, more and more people of all ages are living on the edge, and even a small change in the family situation can result in immediate falling into poverty and food insecurity. Many have lost jobs or have reduced hours of work, lost other benefits due to time limits in assistance programs, incurred a sudden and serious illness of a child or family member, lost their homes due to inability to make rent or mortgage payments, death or personal life changes, and other sudden or unexpected hardships.

Why Is There Hunger?

Poverty
The poverty rate in Montana is 14 percent, higher than the national average (13 percent). (Source: U.S. Census; 2000) 65 percent of Montana's emergency food program (EFP) participants have annual household incomes below the federal poverty line ($16,600 for a family of three). (Source: Hungry in Montana: 2006 Client Hunger Survey)

It is a well recognized fact that poverty levels do not correspond to a family's ability to sustain themselves. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), which measures food security through its annual population survey, has consistently shown that unless a family reaches a poverty level of 185%, they continue to be at risk of food insecurity and hunger. In our state, this represents over 300,000 residents, almost 1 Montanan out of 3.

Working Poor & Household Income
Montanans suffer from underemployment, not unemployment. We have a very low unemployment rate around 3 percent yet we rank 49th in the nation for average wages of our workforce, and 42nd in the country for per capita income.

Montana ranks 11th in the country for the number of people working multiple jobs. 80% of available Montana jobs pay less than a livable wage for a single adult with two dependents. .A livable wage is a wage that allows families to meet their basic needs without resorting to public assistance and provides them some ability to deal with emergencies and plan ahead.

In 2004, according to the Northwest Job Gap Study, livable wages for a single Montana adult are $8.61 an hour, and $17.07 for single adult with two children. Annually, that would be $35,500 for a single adult with two children, versus the $13,000 per year that a minimum wage job pays.

Living Expenses
•  The cost of living has risen in Montana in the past few years. However, wages have not kept pace, increasing only slightly in the same amount of time.

•  Almost two-fifths (39 percent) of EFP clients in Montana had to choose between paying for food and rent/mortgage. (Source: Hungry in Montana: 2006 Client Hunger Survey)

•  More than one-half (51 percent) of EFP clients in Montana had to choose between paying for food and utilities/heating fuel. (Source: Hungry in Montana: 2006 Client Hunger Survey)

•  Almost two-fifths (38 percent) of EFP clients in Montana had to choose between paying for food and medicine/medical care. (Source: Hungry in Montana: 2006 Client Hunger Survey)

Government Assistance
• Food Stamps: Approximately 59,000 Montana residents are eligible but not receiving food stamps, many of whom may be turning to EFPs instead.* Just about one-half (53 percent) of EFP participant households in Montana are enrolled in the federal Food Stamp Program. Food stamp benefits often only last two weeks or less, and many Montanans require both EFPs and food stamps to put enough food on the table. (Source: FRAC State of the States 2007, Hungry in Montana: 2006 Client Hunger Survey)

•  WIC: Among Montana EFP participant households with preschool children, less than two-thirds (61 percent) are enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). (Source: Hungry in Montana: 2006 Client Hunger Survey)

Health Status, Insurance and Access to Medical Care
•  38 percent of Montana EFP participant households reported having to choose between food and medicine on a regular basis, and approximately 20 percent listed health care costs as a main reason why they were not able to buy food. (Source: Hungry in Montana: 2006 Client Hunger Survey)

•  Over half (59 percent) of all EFP participant households with no employment were not working due to disability, poor health or injury. (Source: Hungry in Montana: 2006 Client Hunger Survey)

•  Thirty-eight percent of EFP participant households have at least one household member with special dietary needs. (Source: Hungry in Montana: 2006 Client Hunger Survey)