SOLVING HUNGER AND IMPROVING NUTRITION IN MARYLAND: THE FIRST FIVE YEARS
The Problem:
Hunger Amid Plenty
Maryland is the wealthiest state in the country, yet one in every eight
households struggles with food insecurity amid this sea of plenty.
The state has large jurisdictions with
high poverty rates, such as Baltimore
City and Prince George’s County, while
even wealthier counties, like Howard,
Montgomery and Calvert, have significant
areas where many low-income residents
live.
The combination of large concentrations
of poverty within certain communities
and an above-average cost of living
stretches many family budgets to the
breaking point to pay for housing, put
gas in their cars, cover their utility bills,
and buy food. Sometimes, families are
forced to make choices that lead to
hunger and poor nutrition. Children go
without meals or parents are forced to
serve meals that aren’t healthy. Seniors
and people with disabilities must choose
between paying for food or for medicine.
Food insecurity occurs in inner city
neighborhoods, in a growing number
of suburban communities, and in
more isolated rural areas. It also
disproportionately strikes African
American and Latino and other
immigrant communities.
Hunger and food insecurity must be
solved, both for the moral reason that
they are unacceptable in a prosperous
society, and for the practical reason
that the resulting costs last a lifetime.
These costs include obesity, poor
academic achievement, multiple health
and dental health problems, long-term
economic losses, low birth weight, and
mental health issues. Individuals and
communities suffer significantly from the
ill effects.
F IVE YEARS OF SOLVING HUNGER AND MPROVING NUTRI T ION IN MARYL ND
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