Five Key Facts About Food Insecurity:

There is no single face of food insecurity. The need for food assistance varies among children, seniors, college students, people with disabilities, veterans, the working poor, people experiencing homelessness, and others.

Food insecurity is often episodic and cyclical. People may require food assistance a single time, for a few months, or on a more regular basis.

People who face food insecurity must choose between buying food, and taking care of their families. Most low-income households in our service area spend close to 70% of their income on housing, with little left to pay for utilities, childcare, transportation, food, medical care, and other basic needs.

Food insecurity often goes hand in hand with housing insecurity, meaning many of the people our member agencies serve are close to or already experiencing homelessness.

Many food insecure households do not qualify for federal nutrition assistance programs. Eligibility for CalFresh, California’s food stamps (SNAP) program, is based on a nationwide standard that does not take into account the extremely high cost of living in Los Angeles County.