Nearly 460,000 people in San Diego County are impacted by hunger, including more than 162,000 children, according to a new report by Feeding America. In all, 15 percent of people across San Diego County don’t know where their next meal is coming from.
The Map The Meal Gap study analyzes household incomes and food insecurity county by county across the nation, revealing the availability of food and one’s access to it.
In San Diego County, 63 percent of children at risk of hunger are eligible for federal nutrition programs, but 37 percent fall into the gap of not being income-eligible for assistance.
“This data shines a spotlight on the 68,176 children in San Diego who do not have access to federal nutrition programs,” said Jennifer Gilmore, executive director of Feeding America San Diego in a released statement.
Gilmore said Feeding America San Diego is able to offer emergency food assistance to children and their families because they do not rely on federal funding.
Los Angeles County has the most food insecure children of any county across the nation, with more than 650,000 children living in food insecure homes.
More than 50 million people nationwide are food insecure, according to the report.
