Food Shelves No Longer Just Emergency Option for Growing Number of Families in Rochester and Across Southeast Minnesota

For Immediate Release
March 09, 2006

New Hunger Solutions Minnesota Report Finds 83 Percent Increase in Food Shelf and Meal Program Usage in Rochester and Southeast Minnesota

Rochester, MN – The use of food shelves and on-site meal programs in the Rochester region far out-stripped the rest of the state, according to a new report from Hunger Solutions Minnesota released today. The report, based on surveys of thousands of Minnesotans who used food shelves and on-site meal programs to feed their families in 2005, found that compared to 2000, the number of families using these programs grew by 85 percent in the Rochester region. By contrast, usage was up only 45 percent state-wide.

“Far too many people in Rochester and Southeastern Minnesota who once considered food shelves and food kitchens an emergency option now consider them essential for sustaining their families,” said Colleen Moriarty, Director of Hunger Solutions Minnesota. “Unaffordable housing, high heating costs, and the significant underutilization of food support have contributed to a large increase in the amount of families turning to food shelves and on-sites to get by.”

The report, entitled “The State of Hunger in Minnesota,” found that while the average hourly wage of Rochester food shelf clients has increased 10 percent in the past five years, a 17 percent increase in the cost of housing has left families struggling to pay the bills. The result is far more Southeastern Minnesota families relying on food shelves and on-site feeding programs to get by.

Childhood hunger is on the rise in Rochester and Southeastern Minnesota. The study reveals a 10 percent increase in the number of children having cut the size of meals because of lack of food. Despite the increased need, fewer than half of those eligible for food support (formerly known as food stamps) are utilizing it.

Policies recommended in HSM Report

“The State of Hunger in Minnesota” report contains several initiatives to ensure that Rochester and Southeastern Minnesota families don’t go hungry. These include increasing the number of enrollees in the food support program, increasing affordable housing, and promoting the earned income tax credit for low income individuals. It also urges that communities work with school districts to ensure that all low income children and their families have access to public programs.

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Contact: Emily Belland, Hunger Solutions Minnesota, Arden Hills, MN
(651) 486-9860 × 208 Email: ebelland@hungersolutions.org