Childhood hunger rates worsen in Philly
Nearly a third of all children are food insecure, per new estimates from Feeding America.
The big picture: Federal funding cuts to food aid programs, rising costs, tariffs and potential Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) changes could squeeze food banks and exacerbate the childhood hunger crisis.
"For the third consecutive year, the reported need increased," says Adam Dewey, research director at Feeding America.
By the numbers: The childhood food insecurity rate in Philly proper hit 30.5% in 2023, up from roughly 24% in 2019, per Feeding America's latest Map the Meal Gap report published last week.
That means childhood hunger affects roughly 103,400 kids in the city.
Plus: In Philly, 30% of all residents are enrolled in SNAP, including more than 183,000 people under 21 years old.
Zoom out: In the nearby Philly burbs, the childhood food insecurity rates were:
Delaware County: 17.7%
Montgomery County: 11.1%
Bucks County: 10.7%
Chester County: 8.7%
Threat level: Proposed federal SNAP cuts would shift more administrative costs and program funding to states, expand work requirements, and likely force states like Pennsylvania to cut benefits, per a Center on Budget and Policy Priorities report.
Friction point: All public school students in the U.S. received free breakfast and lunch during the pandemic, but Pennsylvania kept only free breakfast after the program ended in 2022.
Now, students pay lunch fees based on income, leaving nearly 50,000 kids just above the cutoff without help, Spotlight PA reports.
The big picture: Childhood food insecurity is one piece of a broader hunger problem exacerbated by rising food costs.
The annual aggregate national food budget shortfall — meaning, the total amount of money people in food-insecure U.S. households need to buy enough food — rose from $28.5 billion in 2022 to $32.2 billion in 2023, up 8.4% inflation-adjusted.
How it works: Map the Meal Gap is an annual effort to make local estimates about food insecurity among different groups, in part by using government data.
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Jupiter grapes from Mick Klüg, they're a good alternative to Concord grapes, but they have a deep muscat flavor, and I love to make open-faced tarts with them. Ireland tomatoes from Nichols and sungold tomatoes from Jerry [Boone at Froggy Meadow]. Black raspberries and gold raspberries from Ellis; they are really fragile, so you have to get them right when they bring it out and eat them soon. Oriana's pawpaws and the Asian pears she has are so good. I didn't know what a pawpaw was 10 years ago before we started going to the market. They remind me of some of the fruits back in India; they have a custardy flavor profile, and you don't have to do anything but scoop it out and eat it with a spoon. You can also do something savory with strawberries if you want to try something new. Get the green strawberries and pickle them. These interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity. Sign up for our newsletter.
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