Nearly 1 in 4 people in Philadelphia lives in poverty, double the rates experienced at both the national and state levels. More than one-third of all children in Philadelphia live in poverty. 

Not having enough money means having to make tough choices. Families must choose whether to pay for rent or pay for medicine. They choose whether to pay for heat or pay for food. For many of them, food is usually the first sacrifice they make.
 
In fiscal year 2010, more than 411,000 Philadelphia residents received help from a food pantry, a 30% increase from the year prior. As of October 2011, more than 464,000 Philadelphia residents rely on food stamps (now called SNAP) to put food their tables.

The USDA considers these residents to be “food insecure” or “lacking access to enough food to fully meet basic needs due to lack of financial resources.” In other words, these people don’t always know where their next meal is coming from. 

Because food is a basic need, hunger and malnutrition affect every aspect of a person’s life, from health to performance in school or at work.

Hunger and Health Care

Hungry people are:

• 30% more likely to be hospitalized and require longer in-patient stays.
• Twice as likely to need mental health services.
• At higher risk for obesity, because healthy, fresh foods usually cost more than high-calorie options, like chips and soda. Low-income neighborhoods often lack supermarkets, so residents rely on limited grocery selections at local convenience or corner stores.
  
  

Hunger and Education

Hungry children are:

• 60% more likely to miss school. 
• 50% more likely to repeat a grade. 
• Twice as likely to be suspended from school.
• Twice as likely to require special education.
  
  

Hunger and the Economy

Hunger costs the state of Pennsylvania $3.25 billion every year, including

• $2.4 billion for medical and mental health care due to increases in illness and psychosocial dysfunction.
• $330 million in lost educational achievement and worker productivity.
• $517 million in costs for charities that work to relieve hunger.
  
  

Fighting Hunger

Policymakers, hunger advocates and the public must work together to find sustainable solutions to hunger and poverty in Philadelphia. Until that happens, there are two main lines of defense against hunger:

• Federal nutrition programs, including SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program): More than 460,000 Philadelphians now receive SNAP (food stamp) benefits, but there are still more than 150,000 eligible residents who don't receive them. Not only does SNAP help people feed their families, SNAP is good for the economy. Every $1 in SNAP benefits generates $1.73 in economic activity.   
  
  Other federally funded hunger-relief programs are the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, the Summer Food Service Program for Children, WIC (the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children) and The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP).

• Food Pantries and Soup Kitchens:
  There are an estimated 700 food pantries and soup kitchens in Philadelphia alone.  Many of these programs receive food through Pennsylvania’s State Food Purchase Program.

*Sources: Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger; SHARE Food Program; Mayor’s Task Force on Hunger; “The Economic Cost of Domestic Hunger,” Harvard School of Public Health; USDA Food & Nutrition Service; U.S. Census; Mark Zandi, Moody’s Economy