Learn How Hunger Affects Your Community

More people in our communities are struggling daily with the challenge of feeding themselves and their families. Children are especially vulnerable during the summer months when they are not receiving free or reduced meals through their school. With your help, we aim to raise a million meals or more to help our neighbors and increase awareness of the local need for food. Food insecurity is an issue in all four states Arvest serves – Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. 

Prevalence of Hunger

• An estimated 10.2 percent of American households were food insecure in 2021, meaning they had difficulty at some time during the year providing enough food for all their household members due to a lack of resources.
• In 2021, the typical food-secure household spent 16 percent more on food than the typical food insecure household of the same size and household composition.
• Arkansas (2nd) and Oklahoma (5th) ranked among the most food-insecure states in the nation, based on average rates from 2019-2021, while Missouri (10th) and Kansas (24th) ranked above or at the national average for most food insecure states.

Nationwide Child Hunger

• 12.5 percent of U.S. households with children under age 18 experienced food insecurity in 2021.
• 12.9 percent of households with children under age 6 experienced food insecurity in 2021.
• 24.3 percent of households with children headed by a single woman experienced food insecurity in 2021.
• 16.2 percent of households with children headed by a single man experienced food insecurity in 2021.

Source:

https://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/pub-details/?pubid=104655