• About the Study
  • Introduction
  • Sponsor Statement
  • Service Area Map
  • Download the Reports
  • Appendices
• Methodology
• Key Findings
• Who We Serve
• How We Serve
• Local Picture
• Snapshot Comparisons
• Media Center

About the Study

 Hunger in America 2006 is the largest, most comprehensive study of its kind ever conducted.  The study provides authoritative, comprehensive, and statistically valid data on the national charitable response to hunger and the people served by private hunger-relief agencies.  Through 52,000 face-to-face client interviews and 30,000 surveys of local charitable agencies, Hunger in America 2006 chronicles the nature and incidence of demand for emergency food assistance which, in turn, helps charitable feeding organizations better address the burgeoning need through program development and refinement.  The results also better inform the public policy discourse so that federal nutrition programs can better serve those in need.

There are two main data sources for Hunger in America 2006:  client data and agency data, which were collected in early 2005.  The client data was amassed through face-to-face interviews with randomly-selected recipients at emergency feeding sites across the country.  Over 52,000 individuals offered to share their stories with us, including the circumstances of what led them to the pantry, kitchen or shelter at which they were interviewed.  Their generosity makes it possible for us to better understand who seeks emergency food assistance and why.  Secondly, we asked participating Network Members to mail surveys to each of their member agencies, yielding over 30,000 nationwide.  The agency surveys provide information on the services available to low-income Americans, their needs and their stability.

Hunger in America 2006 is the independent research conducted on behalf of America's Second Harvest - The Nation's Food Bank Network by Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. (MPR), a leading social policy research firm based in Princeton, NJ.  In addition, all aspects of the study were overseen by an independent review team - the Technical Advisory Group (TAG).  The TAG is comprised of noted social scientists, including demographers, nutritionists, academics and statisticians, who reviewed everything from the survey instruments to the analysis plan to the final results.

The results of Hunger in America 2006 should be discomforting.  It is difficult to understand how people living in this land of plenty can have to make decisions between paying for food or other household necessities.  It is troubling that children and seniors, the country's most vulnerable citizens, may have to forgo their most basic need - the need for food - because of a lack resources.  Hunger in America 2006 tells the stories of more than 25 million Americans—including 9 million children and  nearly 3 million seniors—who receive emergency food assistance each year from America's Second Harvest—The Nation’s Food Bank Network of charitable agencies.