Solutions Blog

A snapshot of hunger in Minnesota: 9,000 visits a day and rising

2014 Food Shelf Report

empty plate

9,000 people a day visit a food shelf in Minnesota

In 2014, there were 3.34 million visits to 300 food shelves across the state. That is 9,000 people a day seeking food assistance. This represents a 4% increase over 2013.

There’s a new normal in Minnesota and it is making an impact on hunger and bringing unprecedented demand to our main street response to hunger, our network of food shelves.

In a recent Gallup Healthways survey, 11% of Minnesotans reported having a food hardship, or not having enough money to buy food in the last year. In the post great recession economy, many of the families that visit food shelves have jobs. These jobs don’t pay enough to cover expenses.

Another factor contributing to hunger is policy changes to SNAP.  SNAP, the program formerly known as Food Stamps, is the largest response to hunger in the US.  In the fall of 2013 a policy change caused 89,000 adults to lose their benefits.  This was twice as many as forecasted.

We invite you to download the complete 2014 Food Shelf Report that reviews all of the food shelf numbers, current hunger relief environment and recommended policies.

Please also review an interactive infographic to learn even more about who is hungry in Minnesota.

 

Click to view interactive infographic

Click to view interactive infographic

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