Ohioans increasingly turn to foodbanks - 1.4 Million, 18% jump since 2006

[The Straight Story]

Ohioans increasingly turn to foodbanks
Survey shows 18 percent jump in number of residents using emergency food help since 2006



COLUMBUS -- More than 1.4 million Ohioans relied on food banks to eat last year, up 18 percent from 2006, according to a statewide survey released Tuesday.

The Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks found that in any given week, 225,700 people are receiving emergency food help from a pantry, soup kitchen or other food bank agency.

An estimated 500,500 children and 128,700 senior citizens got their food at Ohio pantries last year, the study found.

"The data paints a troubling picture of hunger in Ohio," Lisa Hamler-Fugit, executive director of Second Harvest Foodbanks, said at a news conference.

Meanwhile, about 17,000 Ohioans will exhaust their unemployment benefits this week and another 79,000 could use theirs up in April if Congress does not extend the Emergency Unemployment Compensation deadline.
...

Tuesday's survey of 4,092 food-bank users also found:

# 75 percent of families had annual incomes below the federal poverty level ($17,163 a year for a household of three).

# 44 percent have been unemployed more than two years.

# 40 percent do not have access to a working car.

# 7.5 percent are homeless.

http://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/article/20100331/NEWS01/3310331

[progressoid]

1. Any day now all that Wall Street money will be trickling down to us.

Any day now...

[cutlassmama]

2. I hope no one is holding their breath for that one. LOL