(NORTHEAST INDIANA, Feb. 2, 2010) — A landmark study released today by Community Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Indiana, Inc. and Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization, reports that more than 90,000 people receive emergency food each year through Community Harvest Food Bank. The findings represent an increase of 41,400 people since the findings reported in Hunger in America 2006.

Hunger in America 2010 is the first research study to capture the significant connection between the recent economic downturn and an increased need for emergency food assistance. The number of children and adults in need of food as a result of experiencing food insecurity has significantly increased.

In northeast Indiana, 74% of client households served by Community Harvest are experiencing very low food security—or hunger. An estimated 21,100 people receive emergency food assistance each week from a food pantry, soup kitchen, or other agency served by Community Harvest Food Bank compared to 14,000 in 2006.

Nationally, more than one in three client households are experiencing very low food security—or hunger—a 54 percent increase in the number of households compared to four years ago.

An estimated 5.7 million people receive emergency food assistance each week from a food pantry, soup kitchen, or other agency served by one of Feeding America’s more than 200 food banks, including Community Harvest Food Bank. This is a 27 percent increase over numbers reported in Hunger in America 2006, which reported that 4.5 million people were served each week.

“These figures are staggering,” said Jane Avery, executive director of Community Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Indiana. “It just breaks my heart to see these numbers. We knew we were busy, we just didn’t know how busy we were. I’m so proud to say Community Harvest is able to help these folks every single day thanks to our generous donors, our volunteer corps, not to mention our dedicated staff and board of directors. That said there is so much more that needs to be done.”

“It is morally reprehensible that we live in the wealthiest nation in the world where one in six people are struggling to make choices between food and other basic necessities,” said Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America. “These are choices that no one should have to make, but particularly households with children. Insufficient nutrition has adverse effects on the physical, behavioral and mental health, and academic performance of children. It is critical that we ensure that no child goes to bed hungry in America as they truly are our engine of economic growth and future vitality.”

Nationally, Feeding America collected quantitative and qualitative feedback from 61,000 face-to-face in-depth interviews with people seeking emergency food assistance and more than 37,000 agency surveys, making this study the largest, most-comprehensive ever conducted on domestic hunger.

USDA reported in November 2009 that an estimated 49 million people, including 17 million children, are at risk of hunger in this country. Hunger In America 2010 reinforces the dramatically increasing need for food assistance in the United States.

Among the key findings in the Community Harvest Food Bank report:

• CHFB provides food to 90,000 different people annually.

• 21,100 different people receive assistance from CHFB every week.

• 45% of households served by CHFB are children under 18 years of age.

• 5% of the members of households served by CHFB are elderly.

• 62% of clients are non-Hispanic white, 23% are non-Hispanic black, 11% are Hispanic, and the rest are from other racial groups.

• 39% of households include at least one employed adult.

• 71% have incomes below the federal poverty level during the previous month.

• 44% of clients served by CHFB report having to choose between paying for food and paying for utilities or heating fuel.

• 40% had to choose between paying for food and paying their rent or mortgage.

• 35% had to choose between paying for food and paying for medicine or medical care.

• 39% had to choose between paying for food and paying for transportation.

• 28% of client households are receiving SNAP (food stamps) benefits.

• 64% of households with children ages 0-3 participate in the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program.

• Among households with school-age children, 74% participate in the federal school lunch program.

• 30% of households report having at least one household member in poor health.

A summary of the findings is available on Community Harvest Food Bank’s web site at www.chfb.org.

About Community Harvest – Community Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Indiana, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the alleviation of hunger through the full use of donated food and other resources. As the largest food bank in northeast Indiana, it collects and distributes over 10 million pounds of donated, surplus food annually through a network of human service member agencies. These agencies offer assistance to hungry people, acting as a safety net to ensure that everyone receives their daily bread with dignity. www.chfb.org

About Feeding America – Feeding America provides low-income individuals and families with the fuel to survive and even thrive. As the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity, our network members supply food to more than 37 million Americans each year, including 14 million children and 3 million seniors. Serving the entire United States, more than 200 member food banks support 61,068 agencies that address hunger in all of its forms. Feeding America is based in Chicago. For more information on how you can fight hunger in your community and across the country, visit http://www.feedingamerica.org. Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Feeding America or follow our news on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Feedingamerica.

FORT WAYNE, Ind, (Nov. 18, 2009) — Indiana Pork, in partnership with Feeding Indiana’s Hungry, Inc., donated 5,000 pounds of ground pork to Community Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Indiana Tuesday, Nov. 17. It is the first delivery of approximately 90,000 pounds of pork earmarked for northeast Indiana. The pork donation is the beginning of a bold, ambitious and ongoing campaign for Indiana pork producers, industry partners, friends and the general public to fund a program to donate pork products to Hoosiers experiencing hunger.

This initiative is designed to help thousands of Hoosier families with one of their most essential needs – high quality protein. The lofty goal of the campaign is to provide one million ground pork meals per year, throughout the year, to those in need. These pork meals will be distributed statewide through the nine food bank members of Feeding Indiana’s Hungry, Inc., Indiana’s statewide network of food banks.

“Indiana pork producers saw the need in the state and they came to us with a plan to provide one million pork meals per year. This isn’t a one-time commitment. They want us to rely on them for a significant donation of pork every year!” said Jane Avery, Community Harvest Food Bank Executive Director. “They’ve always been generous but this really couldn’t have come at a better time for us. 90,000 pounds of pork will go a long way towards helping our hungry neighbors in northeast Indiana as we head into the winter heating months especially. We couldn’t be prouder of our association with Indiana Pork.”

“Indiana donations of pork products have been in place for decades, however, this is the first time the Indiana pork industry is tackling the problem of hunger on a coordinated statewide basis,” said Randy Curless, Indiana Pork President.

The program was formally announced at the Indiana State Fair this summer. “Indiana is blessed with a rich and abundant agricultural economy. There’s no reason anyone in our state should go without a meal,” says Michael Platt, Executive Director of Indiana Pork. “We’re encouraging all of our partners in agriculture to join us to help make Indiana the first hunger free state in the nation.”