Hunger in Massachusetts

I am still going throught the report, but the key findings alone are enough to make me flinch:

"Key findings for eastern Massachusetts include: 

• 23% more people sought food assistance in 2009 than in 2005. More than 390,000 people sought assistance in 2009.
• About a third of the households receiving food assistance have at least one child under 18 years of age. 
• Nearly a third say that their children are not eating enough because they can't afford enough food.
• Many of those interviewed had to make unacceptable choices:
  
  • 44% had to choose between food and heat.
  • 34% had to choose between food and rent.
  • 37% had to choose between food and medical care.
• The study also shows that there is no one face of hunger.  
  
  • 73% have a place to live. 
  • More than a third of the households served have one or more working adults.
  • 44% of the clients are between 30 and 49 years old.
  • More than two-thirds are registered voters.
• Poverty and food insecurity are linked:
  
  • About half of all households reported monthly incomes of less than $800
  • 80% live below the federal poverty line (less than $1,526 a month for a family of 3)"

I encourage you to take a look at the report   (you can start, like me, with the Executive Summary!) and consider what you can do to help erradicate hunger in Massachusetts.

Give. Advocate. Volunteer.