Regional
(2010-02-02)
FORT COLLINS, CO
(KUNC) -
The Hunger in America survey released today reports a 27 percent increase in the number of people seeking assistance at U.S. food banks, including Colorado. That's compared to a previous study in 2006. The agency polled 184 food banks across the United States to understand who's behind the rising demand. Children are among the fastest growing groups at food banks. That's because many parents, some of whom live above the poverty line, are struggling to make ends meet.
"When people have children, obviously their expenses as a family are increased," says Amy Pezzani, executive director of the Food Bank for Larimer County. "So that's why we're seeing the number of children increasing. It's also their parents that are coming to us as well."
Pezzani says her agency is providing food to more than 14,000 kids in Larimer County. That's more than double the estimated number of children living below the poverty line in the area. © Copyright 2012, KUNC
