The Hungry People We Don’t Talk About

What demographics experience some of the highest rates of hunger?

It’s not who you think it is, precisely because you thought it.

You probably guessed seniors and children. Anti-hunger efforts tend to focus on these two vulnerable demographics because of the concern that they are helpless to fight it themselves. Seniors are living on a fixed income, while children are at the mercy of their parents’ financial situation. Anti-hunger advocacy has long prioritized those whose poverty we see as out of their control (the “deserving poor”).

Because of greater concerns regarding senior and childhood hunger, there are more programs available to support them. Just over 10% of American households are food insecure, while 12.5% of households with children do so. Although having children in the household does increase the hunger risk, programs like the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and Women, Infants and Children (WIC) are powerful and effective tools against childhood hunger.

Households that include a senior experience hunger rates of 7.1%, and 9.5% for seniors living alone. Seniors are one of the least-hungry demographics in the U.S. (Keep in mind that no identity exists independently, and people have many different experiences and identities that impact their hunger risk. This data only indicates that advancing age is not a primary indicator of hunger risk and does not mean there are no hungry seniors or that we shouldn’t be figuring out how to lower these numbers further.) The low rate of senior hunger is thanks to programs such as Meals on Wheels, the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), and other projects specifically because this is a demographic that is prioritized when fighting hunger.

While these communities certainly deserve our attention and continued efforts to end hunger, it’s important for anti-hunger advocates to examine where the greatest need lies. Identifying the barriers to food security for our most vulnerable community members helps us increase access for everyone.

Who’s hungry?

College Students

41% of college students are food insecure. Our vision of a college student as a carefree young person with their parents footing the bill is long outdated. A college degree is now almost essential for accessing a living wage, so higher numbers of first generation, older and other “nontraditional” students are pursuing college and graduate degrees.

Many of these students are attending community college, over 25, supporting their own families, paying their own housing and other living expenses, and usually end up in significant debt with the high cost of tuition. It should be no surprise that nearly half of college students don’t have enough food to eat.

LGBTQ+ Individuals

22% of LGBTQ+ individuals are food insecure.

These high hunger rates are largely due to discrimination thanks to a lack of protective federal policies (particularly employment), which leaves this community more vulnerable to poverty, houselessness, and hunger. Charitable resources may also be less available due to intolerant and homophobic organizations that don’t welcome everyone.

People with Disabilities

55% of disabled Medicare recipients are food insecure. Despite protective policies like the ADA, people with disabilities still experience discrimination that limits housing and employment opportunities, which have a profound impact on hunger rates. Disabilities may also make it harder to physically access food, as people may not have the ability to shop at the grocery store or travel long distances for affordable food.

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While policy changes on both the local and federal level are necessary for eliminating the root causes of hunger for these groups, there are certainly steps that food pantries can take to become more available to these communities and thus a little more accessible to everyone.

How Can Food Pantries Support Our Hungriest Neighbors?

College Students

Do students know about food resource options? The stigma against using emergency food assistance programs for students is high, so making pantries easily accessible and welcoming for young people is essential. SNAP benefits are often unavailable to students, and these restrictions may mean that students don’t know that there are other resources available to them. Because of this, more and more colleges are developing their own pantries right on campus. Pantries should do direct outreach at schools with clear explanations of eligibility. Volunteer recruitment may also be a gentle way to introduce students to the idea of food assistance, as many schools require volunteer hours as part of their curriculum.

LBGTQ+ Individuals

Many food pantries are located in or have their origins within religious institutions which historically have not welcomed the LGBTQ+ community. My own food pantry started in a church basement, and our name and logo reflect that. As a result, I often get phone calls inquiring about our religious affiliation (there is none) because people are unsure if it is a safe space.

 One small but significant step we’ve taken is to ask for our client’s pronouns upon check-in, so that we can ensure we identify them correctly (after training volunteers on the importance of pronouns). Also, because we do not require any identification or documentation, our shoppers can choose what name we enter them in our database even if it does not match their identification. I’ve been delighted with the few opportunities I’ve had to delete someone’s deadname in our database (the name they had before their transition). Small details like gender neutral bathrooms are also more inclusive.

There is no reason that inclusive food pantries shouldn’t do deliberate outreach towards the LGBTQ+ community. With Pride Month approaching, pantries committed to fighting LGBTQ+ hunger should absolutely deck themselves in rainbows and undertake outreach so everyone knows there is a safe and welcoming place to get food assistance.

People with Disabilities

Can the pantry space accommodate wheelchairs? Are there places to sit, or must clients stand in a long line to enter? Is there a quiet space where someone who is overstimulated may take a break? Because many pantries exist in whatever space is available, they may not be physically accessible to everyone. Pantries often find workarounds by distributing food boxes to individuals who can’t enter the pantry themselves, but this deprives them of the respect and autonomy that is so important to establishing a dignified experience. Although we have only one disabled parking spot at our pantry, we are mostly accessible and have volunteers on hand to help clients shop however they may need it, such pushing a shopping cart for a wheelchair user or explaining our food options to those with limited vision to ensure they can have the same shopping experience as everyone else.

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Hunger doesn’t exist in a silo. It is important to remember that identities overlap and that hunger rates are also heavily influenced by race, gender, and a multitude of other factors. We can never know all the obstacles to food security that someone may face, which is why breaking down the greatest barriers for our most vulnerable populations helps us improve food security for the entire community.

There are many, many other ways that food pantries can ensure these demographics feel more welcome and food secure. What are some of the steps that your organization has taken?

*(Data is from 2021-22 resources.)

The opinions expressed here are solely my own and do not express the views or opinions of my employer.