Kansas Food Bank released a new hunger study this week.

Food Assistance and Hunger in the Heartland 2021 – Report for the Kansas Food Bank shows 47% of food-insecure neighbors served by Kansas Food Bank’s network in 85 counties get more than half of their monthly food from a food pantry.

The study, was conducted in the summer of 2021 by the University of Missouri’s Interdisciplinary Center for Food Security in conjunction with Kansas Food Bank and many of its pantries.

73,000 different people receive food assistance each month from the food pantries and mobile food distributions in Kansas Food Bank’s network. The study does not measure those served by Kansas Food Bank’s network of congregate meal sites and shelters, senior box programs or summer and weekend (Food 4 Kids) programs for children.

Over half of the households served make less than $15,000 a year. 48% of households have had to choose between paying for food or utilities, 39% have had to choose between paying for food and paying for medicine or medical care, and 33 % have had to choose between paying for food and paying for housing.

Households cope with food insecurity in a variety of ways. 60% report buying the cheapest food available regardless of its nutritional value. 39% have eaten food past its expiration date, 25% pawned or sold personal items, while 16% have watered down food or drinks.

Households relying on Kansas Food Bank’s pantry network for food often face challenges related to their health and well-being. 62% have at least one person with high blood pressure, and 43% reported at least one person with diabetes or pre-diabetes. Nearly half of households served have at least one member without any kind of health insurance.

Among key findings in the Kansas Food Bank report:

• 45% of households reported having at least one child under the age of 18
• 37% of households reported having at least one adult over the age of 65
• 49% of the households include at least one adult who worked during the last 12 months.
• 79% of neighbors have attained a high school degree or general equivalency diploma (GED).
• In 14% of households, at least one member has served in the military.
• Only 41% of households served receive benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP or food stamps). But, 82% of those served have incomes making them eligible for SNAP.
• Kansas Food Bank provides 62 percent of the food distributed by the pantry agencies in its network.

A summary of the findings is available at https://kansasfoodbank.org/hunger-statistics/.