The number of Rhode Islanders facing “food insecurity” has doubled over the last four years, according to the Status Report on Hunger for 2024, released by the RI Community Food Bank (RICFB) on Monday. Nearly four in ten Rhode Islanders faced hunger in the last year.
While RICFB’s statewide assessment does not provide community-by-community numbers, we know that Providence, with higher percentages of all of the groups most vulnerable to hunger, is faring even worse that our state as a whole. This may well mean that more than half of Providence residents are food insecure right now.
A household is considered food insecure if the head of the household answers “true” to either of the following statements for any month in the prior 12 months:
- We worried whether our food would run out before we got money to buy more.
- The food we bought just didn’t last and we didn’t have money to get more.
38% Percent of all Rhode Island residents experiencing food insecurity as of April 2024 – approximately 417,000 out of our state’s 1.1 million total residents.
18% Percent of all Rhode Island residents experiencing food insecurity in 2021
47% Percent of Black RI residents reporting food insecurity.
55% Percent of Latino RI residents facing food insecurity.
243,000 Number of RI residents living in low income households (receiving 180% or less than the official federal poverty level income for their household size).
256.2 million Total number of meals all low-income Rhode Islanders need over a whole year in order to eat three meals per day every day.
37% Percentage of all needed meals low-income Rhode Islanders purchase with cash.
37% Percentage of needed meals low income Rhode Islanders pay for with income-based food benefits, mainly Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP.
6.5% Percentage of needed meals provided to low income children through the free or reduced-price school lunch program.
6% Percentage of needed meals provided to low income households through the RI Community Food Bank and its member agencies.
42 million Number of needed meals low income Rhode Islanders simply do without in a year for lack of enough income, benefits or available free food – 16% of the meals that they should have to stay healthy.
Source: Rhode Island Community Food Bank Status Report on Hunger for 2024.
Jonathan Howard is Co-founder of Cause & Effect, Inc., a consulting company that provides strategic planning facilitation, fund development planning and board strengthening to mission-driven organizations. He is a long- time resident of Providence.
