WNC food facts

Posted on by Geraldine H. Dinkins

• More than 100,000 people in 16 WNC counties rely on food pantries and soup kitchens for food assistance; 38,000 of them are children.

• 14 million pounds of food were distributed by MANNA FoodBank in 2013, the equivalent of two Giving Trees’ worth (or 30,000 meals per day).

• 2 million of those pounds were donated by Ingles Markets, with the remainder coming from area growers, producers, wholesalers, trucking companies, grocers, food drives and individual donors.
• Collected food was distributed to 107,600 individuals in 16 WNC counties.
• 41 percent of the partner agencies rely on unpaid volunteers.
• 51 percent of the partner agencies saw an increase in demand from 2012.
• 25 percent of the partner agencies saw demand outpace supply in 2013.
• 38,000 children received food assistance in 2013, and another 19,000 recipients were 60 or older.
• One in five families in WNC identifies as food-insecure or not knowing where the next meal will come from.
• 60 percent of those seeking food assistance reported an annual income of $10,000 or less.
• 10 percent of families seeking food assistance included at least one full- or part-time student age 18 or older.
• One in five families seeking food assistance included a current or former member of the armed forces.
• 56 percent of families seeking food assistance included an adult who worked for pay within the preceding year.
• 11 percent of families seeking food assistance included seniors taking care of grandchildren.
• Of those needing food assistance, 75 percent reported making spending trade-offs, especially during winter months, to buy food instead of paying for utilities, transportation and medical care.

Facts are from “Hunger in America, 2014,” a report compiled every four years by Feed America in cooperation with the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina. For the complete survey, go to mannafoodbank.org.

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