A national report recently released lists Missouri as the second most state experiencing hunger with 7.9 percent of the population qualifying as enduring very low food security.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture conducted the survey, which overviews a three-year period, from 2011-14, and breaks down hunger levels in each state. Residents can qualify in three categories: food security - they eat adequately; low food security - they worry about when they will eat their next meal and the resources to purchase or find it, but eat enough to not experience hunger; or very low food security - they are food insecure and experience hunger.
Ohio ranked third in very low food security at 7.5 percent, and North Dakota was the state to experience the least amount of hunger with a 2.9 percent score. Considering all three food security categories, Missouri ranks seventh in the nation.
Sandy Rikoon, director of the University of Missouri's Community Food Systems and Sustainable Agriculture Program, said Missouri's hunger is on the rise. In terms of very low food security, the difference between the Show-Me State and Arkansas, which ranks No. 1, is .2 percent.
"Missouri is second to the worst in the worst category," Rikoon said.
Nationally, the report shows, 6.9 million households are experiencing very low food security. Based on its food security survey of more than 43,000 households, 98 percent worried food would run out before more could be bought, and 97 percent reported food purchased did not last and funds weren't available to buy more.
Monica Palmer, communications manager for Feeding Missouri, said while the country is seeing bounce back from the recession, Missourians are facing employment distress.
"We've seen overall economic recovery, but it's not trickling down to the most vulnerable in Missouri," Palmer said.
Of all Missouri jobs, 29.5 percent are considered low wage and pay less than 100 percent of the federal poverty line, according to the 2012 Assets & Opportunities Scorecard. There are 24 counties in the state with a population of 15 percent of less living in poverty. The City of St. Louis and 13 counties, primarily in southern portions of Missouri, have more than 25 percent of its populations in poverty.
To combat hunger, food insecure individuals rely on the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), SNAP Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). In 2014, 858,416 Missourians participated in SNAP (commonly known as food stamps) and 138,657 in WIC, according to the USDA. At the same time, 953,572 children were enrolled in NSLP, according to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
In the 3.7 million U.S. households, 9.4 percent had children who were food insecure, according to the USDA report, but it didn't break down the number for Missouri. The 2013 Missouri Hunger Atlas, though, shows that 91 counties - there are 114 and the City of St. Louis - have 21.07 percent or more households with children under 18 experiencing low food security.
"We are at a point where Missouri needs to do something," Palmer said.
To see the full report, go to newstribune.com.