Hunger in Texas

The state of Texas is third in the nation in the percent of its

citizens that are food insecure (16.4%).

Half a million individuals need assistance with food each year in Houston and throughout southeast Texas

• More than 800,000 people live in poverty in our 18-county area (14% of the population)

• One in five children in Harris County lives at or below poverty level

• Nearly half of households include at least one working adult

• 85% are not homeless

• 44% are children

• Hungry families report they often must choose between paying for food and other necessities:

Food vs. utilities - nearly 50 %

Food vs. rent or mortgage - 43%

Food vs. medicine - over 33%

On any given day, an estimated 34,000 people are hungry

Hunger in the U.S.

• 35.5 million people—including 12.6 million children—live in households that experience hunger or the risk of hunger. This represents more than one in ten households in the United States (10.9 %)

• Research shows that preschool and school-aged children who experience severe hunger have higher levels of chronic illness, anxiety and depression, and behavior problems.
   

30.4 percent of families comprised of single mothers and their children were food  insecure.   

For children, hunger means 

• Higher levels of anxiety, depression, and behavior problems; inability to concentrate in school; and stunted development, loss of muscle mass, and vulnerability to disease.  

For adults, hunger means

• Little energy to find better paying jobs or learn new working skills

• Greater risk of anemia, heart disease, cancer, hypertension, and stroke

• The exacerbation of pre-existing health conditions

• Limited efficacy of prescription drugs.