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 Simply
put, hunger is the uneasy or painful sensation caused by an involuntary lack of food. Only those people who are
unable to obtain food because they cannot afford it are considered hungry. Hunger isa devastating condition. The
low intake of adequate nutrients that also provide fuel for energy prohibits families and children from living
healthy, productive lives.
Over the past two decades, new terms have been developed to encompass the less severe form of hunger, which afflicts
almost 500,000 of Ohio's children. These children live in a state of vulnerability, living each day without knowing
where their next meal will come from 320 if one at all. Food insecurity is defined as the inability to acquire
or consume an adequate quality or sufficient quantity of food and can also be the uncertainty of being able to
do so. The phrase furtheren compasses the need of those who are compelled to seek food in socially unacceptable
ways, such as by stealing or scavenging. Those who are food insecure often worry about where they will find their
next meal and are often forced to seek assistance through emergency resources like food pantries or soup kitchens.
However, our goal fo all children is food security, which is defined as access at all timesto enough food for active
healthy living.*
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Childhood Hunger in Ohio
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- Children experiencing low food security: 495,000
- Children experiencing very low food security: 129,000
- 1 in every 6 Ohio children goes to bed hungry or at risk of hunger4
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*In 2006, USDA introduced new language to describe the ranges
of food insecurity. Low food security (f.k.a. food insecurity without hunger) is described as “multiple
indications of disruped eating patterns and reduce food intake.” Very low food security (f.k.a.
food insecurity with hunger) describes families that “report reduced quality, variety, or desirability of diet
with litle or no indication of reduced food intake.”
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