Good News and Bad News in the Latest Hunger Trends
This week our national partner, Feeding America, released the latest data from their Map the Meal Gap report, providing us with an annual update on hunger in our state. The good news? The number of food insecure people in Western Washington decreased slightly by about 7,000 to 682,710. Unfortunately the number of meals that are still needed to provide every food insecure person with three meals per day, 365 days of the year, increased by more than 7 million to 119.5 million, which means that each of those people is missing about 175 meals per year.
The impact was felt differently throughout the 17 counties we serve. Seven counties, including three of the most populated, saw a decrease in the number of food insecure individuals while four saw little change. Six counties saw little change either way.
Change in number of food insecure individuals by counties:
Increased |
Decreased |
Stayed the Same |
| Clallam | King | Jefferson |
| Cowlitz | Lewis | Mason |
| Island | Gray’s Harbor | San Juan |
| Kitsap | Pacific | Wahkiakum |
| Thurston | Pierce | |
| Whatcom | Skagit | |
| Snohomish |
To see the interactive tool provided by Feeding America as well as updated statistics on child food insecurity, visit the Map the Meal Gap website.
