Food Insecurity Crisis Getting Worse

May 17, 2024
My colleagues and I are raising awareness about the sudden spike in hunger and food insecurity in Connecticut and around the country. Representative Eleni Kavros DeGraw and Senator Henri Martin broke down some of the most alarming statistics, showing that higher food costs are a major financial strain.

According to Feeding America, 468,150 people in Connecticut are food insecure, which is 90,000 more people since the last study in 2021. The most alarming data shows there is a 34% spike in the number of children who are food insecure.

The poverty rate in the greater Waterbury area alone is 12%, which comes out to 38,000 people living in households with incomes less than the federal poverty level of $51,000 for a family of four. The need for help is further magnified because the low-income rate is 25% in our immediate area.

Feeding America’s “Map the Meal Gap” shows a disturbing trend in Connecticut:

  • 1 in 8 residents is food insecure, compared to 1 in 10 last year 
  • 1 in 6 children is food insecure 
  • 1 in 4 Black persons is food insecure 
  • 1 in 4 Hispanic persons is food insecure 
  • 1 in 11 White non-Hispanic persons is food insecure
Read the Entire Report Here
Connecticut Foodshare President & CEO Jason Jakubowski
The Connecticut General Assembly is trying to tackle this issue head on. This year, I co-sponsored House Bill 5011, which would have contributed more state funding for nutrition assistance. The measure would have provided $10 million to Connecticut Foodshare for the Connecticut Nutrition Assistance Program (CT-NAP) and 15% of that would have gone to farmers in Connecticut for the food they grow. CT-NAP directly affects the well-being of countless individuals, families, and businesses in our state. My colleagues and I plan to file the bill again during the next legislative session, which starts in January. Our residents deserve nothing less.