More than 13.8 percent of households in Minnesota reported in 2009 not having enough money to buy food that they needed during the prior twelve months for themselves or their family, according to a new report released by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC).

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The Twin Cities is among a handful of mostly Midwestern metros in which the concentration of poverty “tipped” during the last decade from city to suburbs. In 2008, 54 percent of the region’s poor lived in suburbs, up from 46 percent in 2000.

Midwestern cities and suburbs experienced by far the largest poverty rate increases over the decade.

“Minneapolis/St.

Rural America is home to approximately 6.2 million households
with children.

A growing number of Minnesotans — many from middle-class backgrounds — fear going to bed hungry and are turning to emergency food shelves.

MINNPOST

U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar announced today that Minnesota will receive $2,980,525 for the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP). The EFSP is administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The funding will go to 30 counties across Minnesota to help provide food and shelter to families in need.

Getting by on food stamps

The number of people in Minnesota receiving food stamps who had no other income rose from 23,559 in 2007 to 43,997 in 2009 — an increase of 87 percent. Here’s how Minnesota’s food stamp cases break down:

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Consumers and businesses alike are feeling cautiously optimistic about the coming year.

But unemployment remains very high at 10%. And, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently released an alarming report about food insecurity in the United States. Between 2007 and 2008, the number of U.S.

Women participating in the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program will soon see their monthly WIC fruit and vegetable vouchers get bigger. State agencies got the green light from USDA – via the Federal Register – to move forward with an increased voucher amount.

Food stamp programs in 30 states and the District of Columbia provided data on the number of recipients who had no other cash income in 2007 and 2009. These numbers reflect not only the economic conditions in various states, but also the extent to which food stamp recipients qualify for other safety net programs, such as welfare or unemployment compensation.