Click on the logo to "Map the Meal Gap: Child Food Insecurity 2011."
Courtesy of Feeding America
Unemployment in Battle Creek, Michigan
Poverty
Senior Citizens at Risk of Hunger
Children at Risk of Hunger
Who is most likely to be at-risk?
The most likely to be at-risk are seniors with limited incomes, under age 70, African-Americans, Hispanics, the unmarried, renters and persons living in the South.
Is hunger confined primarily to those who are poor?
No. The poor are more likely to be at-risk, but half of all at-risk seniors have incomes above the federal poverty line.
Is hunger primarily a problem for minorities?
No, not at all. Over two-thirds of all hungry seniors are white.
Is there a clear correlation between hunger risk and education?
Yes. Being a high school drop out increases the risk that a senior will suffer hunger. A high school graduate is 20 percent less likely to be at risk than a drop out. A college graduate is 40 percent less likely.
Does hunger have an impact on the Activities of Daily Living (ADL) for seniors?
Yes, a staggering impact. A senior at risk of hunger has the same chance of an ADL limitation as someone 14 years older. That is, there is in effect a large disparity between actual chronological and “physical” age, so that a 64 year old senior suffering hunger is likely to have the ADL limitations of a 78 year old.
