As of 2021, Virginia’s food insecurity rate stands at 8.1%, meaning that over 704,000 people had to worry where their next meal would come from on any given day. And of that over 704,000, more than 164,000 children, or 8.8%, are facing food insecurity.
With the average cost of a meal in Virginia being $3.64, Feeding America’s “Map the Meal Gap” concluded that an additional $452,899,000 would be needed to meet the state’s food needs.
Every day, families join the ranks of the working poor; these are individuals who can’t make ends meet or who find themselves forced to make difficult choices after suffering devastating personal or financial crises beyond their control. These are your neighbors. Hunger isn’t always obvious but it impacts the lives of so many.
In 2023, we are expecting more Virginians to experience food insecurity as they continue to fight inflation at the grocery store, and pandemic-era assistance programs come to an end.
*2021 data is the most up to date information regarding food insecurity from Feeding America.
Resources at feedva.org
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