According to a recent study by Feeding America, 37 million Americans receive emergency food assistance each year and African Americans make up 34 percent of the total.
Getting up five mornings each week to go to work appears to be the norm for many including Lewis Jefferson, however, standing in line to receive free food on the sixth day wasn’t supposed to be part of the equation.
Jefferson is part of the growing number of African Americans living with “food insecurity” — being unable to provide enough food on the table.
According to a recent study by Feeding America, a Chicago-based hunger-relief agency, 37 million Americans receive emergency food assistance each year and African Americans make up 34 percent of the total. Since the agency’s last study four years ago, there has been an increase of more than one million additional African Americans I need of emergency food help.
About 3.7 million African American children were living with food insecurity, an increase of 35 percent from 2.78 million, according to the “Household Food Insecurity In the United States, 2008” report released in November.
“It’s hard keeping food on the table for my family. I barely make $12 an hour and I try to get all the overtime I can to help make ends meet. I don’t want to rely on getting free food, but I’m not too proud to receive help when I need it,” said Jefferson, a married father of one.
The 47-year-old security guard said he’s thankful for the many churches that give food to those in need.
Vicki Escarra, head of Feeding America, said the organization saw the writing on the wall two years ago. Demand at food banks increase about 30 percent, on average, she said.
“While we have reached many more people over the past four years, the need for hungry Americans far outpaces our current level of service,” said Escarra.
About 678,000 people annually — a 36 percent increase since 2006 — are served by the Greater Chicago Food Depository, the county’s primary food bank. It supplies nearly 600 food pantries, shelters and soup kitchens.
Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church on South Princeton Avenue, which serves food every Thursday to those in need in addition to giving food bags out once a month, has seen the number of families in need significantly increase in the last two years.
The church receives the bulk of its food for the needy from GCFD, according to Alveria Jelks, who oversees the food ministry at Fellowship.
“Our Community Table feeds about 40 people every Thursday and on the fourth Saturday of every month we give away food and clothing. We help feed about 300 families through the program,” said Jelks.
The ministry started under the helm of the Rev. Clay Evans and has been going strong for more than 20 years. But in the last two to three years, the number of those in need rose quite a bit, she said.
“We used to serve about 125 families, but in the last few years, we’ve been hitting close to 300. I’m sure it’s due to the economy,” Jelks added.
The GCFD has asked for $5 million of Gov. Quinn’s budget next year to help food aid agencies get more food, said Kate Maehr, executive director of the food depository.
Copyright 2010 Chicago Defender
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