Hunger Facts

COLORADO HUNGER FACTS

556,000 people in Colorado are living in poverty.

219,000 people, 12% of our families, have limited or uncertain access to food and are considered food insecure by the USDA ... they are worried about where their next meal is coming from.

72,000, 3.9%, of our families are considered very-low food secure.

180,000 of our children, ages 18 and younger, live in poverty a 73% increase since 2000 and the fastest growing population of impoverished kids in the nation.

Not only are there more poor children, but a higher number of them are living at extreme levels of poverty. From 2000 to 2006, the percentage of kids living at

50% of the poverty level (roughly $10,000 a year for a family of four) doubled.

The number of children living in single-parent families has increased 13% since 2000.

1 in ever 6 children goes to bed hungry or at risk of hunger.

270,000 - 35% of the children attending public schools have a family income low enough to receive free or reduced priced school breakfasts and lunches.

Only 66,308 students participated in a School Breakfast Program in 2005-06, ranking Colorado 45th in the nation for the number of students that participate in a School Breakfast Program. Colorado does not have a school breakfast mandate in state law.

Only 139 sites in Colorado operated a Summer Food Service Program serving approximately 7, 355 meals in July 2005, ranking Colorado 44th in the nation for the number of children that participate in a Summer Food Service Program.

The average monthly (FY 2006) number of individuals participating the the Food Stamp Program is 251,385.

Less than 52% of those eligible to receive food stamp benefits are enrolled in the Food Stamp Program. Colorado's participation rate is among the lowest in the nation.

The average monthly food stamp benefits of $107.00 per person = $3.57 per person per day for food.

More than half, or 52% of households receiving food stamps contain children.

Millions in food stamp benefits have gone unclaimed by Colorado residents.

The average monthly (FY 2006) number of WIC participants is 86,171.

The WIC Program currently enrolls 40% of newborn infants into their health program and food services.

It costs $4.21 to feed a child three nutritious meals a day through Federal food assistance programs.

2,040 Family Child Care Homes participate (FY 2006) in the Child and adult Care Food Program, with 9,867 children that participate daily.

More than 424,000 of our residents, including nearly 170,000 children, rely on food banks for their groceries.

Children reside in 40% of households seeking emergency food assistance.

30,000 Seniors, 7.4%, ages 65 and older, live in poverty.

Colorado has experienced a decline in low-skill jobs that provide an adequate wage, and an increase in low-skill jobs with low wages.

Studies indicate an annual income of $31,652 - more than twice the federal poverty level, is required for a family of three to live a stable and healthy lifestyle in Colorado. Families who live below twice the poverty level have difficulty meeting basic food, housing, health care and child care needs.

More than 700,000 Coloradoans lack health care coverage.

The amount of food the Emergency Food Assistance Program - TEFAP - has decreased by 50.3% from 2004 to 2007.

Colorado has a very low per-capita spending, ranking 44th nationwide on discretionary expenditures on services - from highway to higher education to health care. The state spends a little more than $4,000 a person.

Federal Funding-Reimbursement for Colorado Nutrition Programs