Food for Thought

Food for Thought

1 in 6 people in the Miami Valley do not know where their next meal will come from. Map the Meal Gap

Food InsecurityFood-insecure households may need to make trade-offs between purchasing nutritionally adequate foods and important basic needs, such as housing or medical bills.

Visit Feeding America to learn more about food insecurity in America, in Ohio, and in Montgomery County.

Food Insecurity Facts

  • In Montgomery County, 93,210 people (one in six of us) face food insecurity, meaning they do not know where their next meal is coming from. That includes 26,350 children. * Map the Meal Gap 2016
  • 17.5% of the Montgomery County population is food insecure, compared to the national average of 12.7%. * United Way of Greater Dayton
  • During our last fiscal year which ended June 30, The Food Bank's 89 partner agencies distributed over 9,206,000 meals to those who are hungry in Montgomery County.
  • In September of 2018, a total of 67,252 Montgomery County residents were receiving benefits from the Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
  • 8,711 (roughly 13%) of those SNAP recipients in September were employed adults, and 28,413 (43%) of them were children.
  • The average SNAP recipient gets $125 per month, which provides for about $4.11 per day.
  • Food insecure women are more likely to experience birth complications and low birth weight.
  • Children with food insecurity have an increased risk of stunted development, anemia, asthma, oral health problems and hospitalizations. They also exhibit more behavioral problems such as hyperactivity, aggression and anxiety, and they have increased risk of falling behind academically and socially.
  • Adults in households with very low food security are 40% more likely to have chronic illness than adults in households with high food security.