A Snapshot of Hunger

Second Harvest provides food to 20 neighborhood food banks in Spokane County that are serving more than 15,000 people each month. Over the past two decades, Second Harvest has been reaching out to these clients to tell the story of hunger in the community.

Second Harvest's annual client survey is the longest running food bank survey of its kind nationwide. Thanks to generous cooperation by hundreds of emergency food clients, the annual survey is an important tool that helps Second Harvest gain deeper insight into the lives the people served. The 23^rd Annual Client Survey reveals some compelling findings about the faces of hunger in Spokane:

37 percent of emergency food clients are children (18 years old and younger) and 13 percent are seniors (age 55 and older).
Single parents head 20 percent of households.
56 percent of clients have lived in Spokane County for more than 10 years.
57 percent of parents with children skip meals so their children can eat. Twenty-nine percent of those report this happens daily or weekly.
70 percent of respondents said their emergency food box lasted one week or longer.
64 percent of households receive food stamps. Of those, 26 percent receive less than $100 each month and 28 percent receive $100 to $199 each month.
73 percent of households report income below the federal poverty level and earn less than half of Spokane County's median family income.
21 percent of food bank clients are diabetic.