Hunger in Livingston County – September 2018

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What is “food insecurity”?

A person who is food insecure struggles at times to put enough nutritious food on the table. A family runs out of food days or weeks before there will be any money to buy more. Parents may skip meals or eat less than is nutritionally required, to make more food available for their children. People are hungry, but eat less to stretch the available food over a few more days. And only half of food insecure individuals in Livingston County qualify for the government Food Assistance Program (FAP).

Why is this issue so important to Livingston County?

Having enough nutritious food is critical to living a healthy active life. A diet poor in nutrition leads to lifelong health complications such as obesity, Diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and heart
disease. Costs to the community are high – treatment, lost productivity, hospitalizations, etc. A nationally recognized study calculates the negative impact of hunger to be over $167.5 billion per year. That is $542 for every American or $1,410 per household in costs over and above the cost of government food programs. (The Economic Costs of Domestic Hunger)

Addressing hunger is especially important to our youngest children, as a lack of food and poor nutrition can have permanent and devastating effects on their development. Kids can’t learn when they are hungry. They can’t sleep. They have no energy. They can’t function. And even more alarming, poor nutrition actually interferes with proper brain development, 85% of which happens before the child reaches kindergarten age.

What is the impact locally?

• 14,580 Food insecure Livingston County residents, including 4,660 children
  (Map the Meal Gap 2018)
• 7,102 Livingston County residents on government Food Assistance Program
• 65% Portion of FAP households with children, seniors, or disabled persons
• 5,853 Livingston County students eligible for free or reduced lunch (2017-2018)
• 2 million Pounds of food distributed annually by Gleaners in Livingston County

What programs & services exist?
The Livingston County Hunger Council is a coalition of individuals, businesses, and organizations, working together to nourish the community by championing food access and education. Programs include the Food Pantry/Meals Program Network, Summer Lunch Bunch, Community Gardens.

• Food Assistance Program – www.michigan.gov/mibridges
• Women, Infants & Children – Livingston County Health Dept., 517-546-5459
• School Free & Reduced Meals Programs – Contact the individual school.
• Senior Supplemental Food Program – OLHSA, 517-546-8500
• Senior Nutrition Meals on Wheels – 810-632-2155 or 888-886-8971