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Freitag, 19. November 2004
Hunger in NY
sia mia, 04:20h
NOVEMBER 18TH, 2004
More New Yorkers are having trouble putting food on the table, according to a survey by the Food Bank for New York City.
The study found 31 percent of city residents are “at risk for hunger,” finding it somewhat or very difficult to afford the food they need for their families – that’s up from 25 percent a year ago.
In homes with children, the numbers are even more alarming. Forty-one percent of families with children found it hard to afford food – rising from 32 percent last year.
“We know that poverty is the root cause of hunger, and that increasing poverty means that more families are turning to emergency food programs for assistance,” said Ania Duggan, vice president of the Food Bank.
Breaking it down by borough, 32 percent of Queens residents are at risk for hunger, up 8 percent from a year ago; in Brooklyn, 31 percent are at risk (a 7 percent rise); 19 percent are at risk in the Bronx (up 6 percent); 13 percent of Staten Islanders are at risk (a jump from none a year ago); and in Manhattan, the number held steady at 21 percent.
Despite the growing number of people at risk of going hungry, the study found, most people are unaware of what food assistance programs exist in their areas.
“The Food Bank provides food to approximately 1,100 community food programs throughout New York City, who in turn provide food to families in need,” said Duggan. “Part of our role is about working with local community food programs to ensure that there is outreach in the community and to ensure that people have access to information."
The Food Bank is distributing 10,000 free turkeys for Thanksgiving, and Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields was on hand Thursday to help give out the turkeys on the Upper West Side. She says more jobs need to be created to end hunger in the city.
“When you do not have people working, they do not have the means to support themselves and their families," said Fields.
The Food Bank for New York City commissioned the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion to conduct the poll, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
For more information about how needy families can find assistance from the Food Bank, call 1-866-NYC-FOOD or go to www.foodbanknyc.org.
More New Yorkers are having trouble putting food on the table, according to a survey by the Food Bank for New York City.
The study found 31 percent of city residents are “at risk for hunger,” finding it somewhat or very difficult to afford the food they need for their families – that’s up from 25 percent a year ago.
In homes with children, the numbers are even more alarming. Forty-one percent of families with children found it hard to afford food – rising from 32 percent last year.
“We know that poverty is the root cause of hunger, and that increasing poverty means that more families are turning to emergency food programs for assistance,” said Ania Duggan, vice president of the Food Bank.
Breaking it down by borough, 32 percent of Queens residents are at risk for hunger, up 8 percent from a year ago; in Brooklyn, 31 percent are at risk (a 7 percent rise); 19 percent are at risk in the Bronx (up 6 percent); 13 percent of Staten Islanders are at risk (a jump from none a year ago); and in Manhattan, the number held steady at 21 percent.
Despite the growing number of people at risk of going hungry, the study found, most people are unaware of what food assistance programs exist in their areas.
“The Food Bank provides food to approximately 1,100 community food programs throughout New York City, who in turn provide food to families in need,” said Duggan. “Part of our role is about working with local community food programs to ensure that there is outreach in the community and to ensure that people have access to information."
The Food Bank is distributing 10,000 free turkeys for Thanksgiving, and Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields was on hand Thursday to help give out the turkeys on the Upper West Side. She says more jobs need to be created to end hunger in the city.
“When you do not have people working, they do not have the means to support themselves and their families," said Fields.
The Food Bank for New York City commissioned the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion to conduct the poll, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
For more information about how needy families can find assistance from the Food Bank, call 1-866-NYC-FOOD or go to www.foodbanknyc.org.
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