To think of the United States, most people picture abundance — plentiful farms and natural resources, grocery stores shelves stocked with food. But even in a country as prosperous as ours, food insecurity affects millions of people who struggle to afford nutritious food to put on their tables.
While the causes of food insecurity can vary by person, hunger affects every aspect of life, whether that’s childhood development, preventing medical issues, or just having the energy to live fully. At Food Bank of the Rockies and Food Bank of Wyoming, our food assistance programs help to ensure community members experiencing food insecurity and hunger have access to nourishing food for themselves and their families.
What is Food Insecurity?
To define “food insecurity,” let’s turn to “Food Insecurity and Hunger in the United States,” the 2006 report prepared by the Committee on National Statistics at the request of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). According to the report, the definition of food insecurity is “a household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food.” The report’s definition of hunger is “an individual-level physiological condition that may result from food insecurity.”
How Many Americans Live in Food-Insecure Households?
Recent studies show food insecurity in the United States has increased sharply over the last decade. According to “Household Food Security in the United States in 2023,” a report by the USDA’s Economic Research Service, 13.5% of U.S. households experienced food insecurity in 2023, up from 12.8% in 2022. In 2022 and 2023, 5.1% of U.S. households were labeled as having “very low” food security, meaning household members reported “multiple indications of disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake.”
Feeding America’s 2024 “Map the Meal Gap” report, which uses the most recent state and local data pulled from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, sheds more light on this. In the counties our food banks serve in Colorado and Wyoming, “Map the Meal Gap” revealed that:
- 1 in 7 children now face food insecurity— a 33% increase from the previous year
- 1 in 9 people experience food insecurity— a 26% increase from the previous year
- The cost of an average meal has gone up 12%, from $3.84 to $4.29
“People may experience food insecurity due to unanticipated life changes that impact their financial stability, like losing a job, unanticipated medical expenses, or a major family change,” said Food Bank of the Rockies’ Chief Impact Officer Monica Buhlig. “One of these unanticipated events can throw a person who is just barely getting by into a situation in which they cannot make ends meet to put nourishing food on the table.”
Causes of Food Insecurity in Colorado and Wyoming
Every state has unique geographic, economic, and demographic factors that drive food insecurity in their regions. Both Colorado and Wyoming are home to substantial rural populations, which often face limited access to grocery stores and fresh produce. And in both states, people are facing rising costs for housing, utilities, transportation, and healthcare, making it harder to afford fresh food on a consistent basis.
Economic fallout from the pandemic continues to exacerbate food insecurity across the nation; notably, the end of federal support to expand the government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits during the pandemic and record-high inflation that continues today.
“Families need a roof over their heads, lights and heat, and transportation to and from school, appointments, and jobs,” Buhlig said. “For those aging in their homes on a fixed income, monthly expenses increase without the hope of increased monthly revenue. The culmination of these increased costs often forces people to make difficult decisions related to how they spend their money.”
And for people experiencing these hardships, Buhlig said, food is usually the first essential item to be rationed.
Addressing Food Insecurity
Food Bank of the Rockies and Food Bank of Wyoming are among the many organizations, schools, nonprofits, and institutions nationwide that receive federal funding from the USDA to combat food insecurity — but what is food insecurity? It refers to the lack of consistent access to enough food for every person in a household to live an active, healthy life. Through programs like SNAP, Everyday Eats (the Commodity Supplemental Food Program), the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), and more, we work to address this critical issue.
Last year, our mission to distribute fresh, culturally responsive food to as many neighbors as possible felt more relevant than ever: In 2024, Food Bank of the Rockies’ food assistance programs saw a 13% increase in the number of people served at our mobile pantry sites and through our more than 800 Hunger Relief Partners. This rise included 10% more children, 25% more people in Wyoming, and 21% more people on Colorado’s Western Slope. Last year, we distributed more than 94 million pounds of food — equivalent to more than 76 million meals. We currently distribute enough food across our entire service area for 185,000 every day.
Last year, Food Bank of Wyoming’s food assistance programs distributed 25% more food to neighbors across the state through our mobile pantries and our more than 150 Hunger Relief Partners across Wyoming. That’s 12 million pounds of food, or the equivalent of more than 10 million meals. In Wyoming, we currently distribute enough food for 26,000 a day.
We often describe the individuals and families we serve as our “neighbors” at Food Bank of the Rockies because “they are our friends, our colleagues, students at our children’s schools, people aging alongside our parents, and those with whom we do business every day,” Buhlig said. You can’t “identify people experiencing hunger by how they look; they are closer to us than we often perceive.”
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