Facts About Hunger in Sarasota County, Flordia
Many residents in Sarasota County do not believe that we have people among us living below the poverty level. The truth is that:
The percentage of citizens
living below poverty level in Sarasota County almost doubled from 6.8% in 1990 to 12.8% in 2010.
These people are at risk
of falling into higher levels of food insecurity based on alarming trends in poverty, unemployment, and federal budget cuts to hunger prevention programs.
Food insecurity
is defined as having “limited or uncertain availability of, or inability to acquire, nutritionally adequate, safe, and acceptable foods due to financial resource constraint”.
One of every five children,
according to the Sarasota County Planning Services Division, lives below the poverty level, and the rate nearly doubled from 12.9% in 2000 to 21.5% in 2010.
Unfortunately Florida is one of four states
with the highest child food-insecurity rates in the country.
What can YOU do to help fight hunger?
There are three primary ways you can help South County Food Pantry meet the needs of food insecure people
in our community: