Alabama Ranks 2nd In The Country For Food Hardship
By: Jamiese Price
Updated: April 4, 2012
More Alabamians said they struggled to buy food last year than any year since the recession started. In a recent study by the Food Research and Action Center 23.5 percent of people in Alabama reported they were unsure of where their next meal was coming from.
Julie Gonzalez with the Wiregrass Area United Way Foodbank said the recent data released is startling.
"On any given day there are 37,000 people in the Wiregrass who need help getting by. Those numbers you're seeing in these studies represent families. Those numbers are people in need," said Gonzalez
The Food Research and Action Center's statics were gathered as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index project, which has been interviewing nearly 1,000 households daily since 2008.
Gonzalez said while the country is beginning to move out of the recession, the recent study shows Alabama lags behind.
"The amount of people we're talking to are out of work. It's a direct relationship with the unemployment rate and the hunger rate. As one increases so does the other," explained Gonzalez.
