40,000 residents of our area are at risk of hunger and live at or below the poverty line. This is more than 15% of our local population, and includes more than 15,000 children.


A child is born into poverty in North Carolina every 30 minutes.



“Food insecurity” and hunger rates in our state are significantly higher than the national average.



Households with children experience hunger at twice the rate of those without children.



Almost 50% of food-insecure households have incomes above 130% of the federal poverty line, leaving them ineligible for Food Stamps.


Any degree of hunger leaves children vulnerable to impaired cognitive development and results in lower test scores, more missed days of school, and greater psychological and emotional problems.