Hunger in Washington, D.C

The following factsheet was prepared by Greater D.C. Cares, a long-time partner with Loaves and Fishes, who graciously allowed us to repost it here.

Over 633,000 residents in the Greater DC Region are at risk of or experiencing hunger. In DC, one in three residents, or one out of every ten households, is suffering from or at risk of hunger¹. Hunger leads to poor health and many at risk from hunger get sick more frequently and for longer periods of time, leading to loss of time at school and work².

Hunger Issues

Children

• In the Greater DC Region, 200,000 children are at risk of hunger.
  • 1 in 2 children living in DC are at risk¹
  • 1 in 5 children living in suburban Maryland are at risk¹
  • 1 in 6 children living in Northern Virginia are at risk¹
• Hunger can stunt both children’s physical and mental growth².

Seniors

• One in three senior citizens living in DC is at risk of hunger¹.
• Hunger in seniors can increase vulnerability to disease and impair their functionality².

Food Access

• Lower income wards, Wards 1, 4, 5, 7 and 8, have far less grocery stores than do upper income wards, Wards 2 and 3. Corner markets, that often provide limited or no meat or produce, are the primary food sources in Wards 1, 7 and 8².
• There are only 3 farmer’s markets east of the Anacostia River, but there are 18 west of the river².
• More than 20% of low-income Ward residents are classified as obese compared to 7.5% in Ward 3 and 16.8% in Ward 3².

Food Assistance

• One third of DC residents that qualify are not receiving food stamps¹.
• More people are becoming hungry – from 2002-2003, the request for food assistance in DC increased by 33%¹.

Hunger Issues Resources:

• Arlington Food Assistance Center, www.afacinfo.org
• Brainfood, www.brain-food.org
• Capital Area Food Bank, www.capitalareafoodbank.org
• Christ House, www.christhouse.org
• DC Central Kitchen, www.dccentralkitchen.org
• DC Department of Human Services, www.dhs.dc.gov
• DC Fiscal Policy Institute, www.dcfpi.org
• DC Hunger Solutions, www.dchunger.org
• Hands on Network, www.handsonnetwork.org/vca/hunger-intro/3/
• Martha’s Table, www.marthastable.org
• Miriam’s Kitchen, www.miriamskitchen.org
• Share Food Network, www.sharedc.org
• So Others Might Eat (SOME), www.some.org
• The Dinner Program for Homeless Women, www.dphw.org

Sources:

1. “2007 Capital Area Food Bank Statistics.” Capital Area Food Bank: 2007. http://www.capitalareafoodbank.org/documents/documents/2007updatedstatspublished.pdf
2. “Healthy Food, Healthy Communities: Assessment and Scorecard of Community Food Security in the District of Columbia for the Mayor’s Commission on Food and Nutrition." DC Hunger Solutions: 2006. http://www.dchunger.org/pdf/healthfoodcomm.pdf.