By Thomas F. Slater Food Bank of Central New York A recent study
by Feeding America, the national organization comprised of food
banks, found a startling 37 million people in America are
receiving emergency food assistance from food pantries, soup
kitchens and shelters annually. In conjunction with this
national study, the local member, Food Bank of Central New York.
released statistics about hunger in our 11-county service
region. “Hunger in Central and Northern New York 2010” shows who
is hungry, why people are hungry and the effectiveness of our
local emergency food network. Overall the study shows that the
face of hunger is changing as 73 percent of clients are “food
insecure,” the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA)
measure of limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally
adequate foods for all household members. The primary reason for
the need for assistance is people not having enough financial
resources to meet all of their basic needs, as 47 percent of
households served have an annu