Families in Need

Nearly 1.51 million Georgians are living in poverty according to the latest US Census Bureau American Community Survey. Oftentimes mothers and fathers have to choose between buying food or paying for medical care, childcare or other monthly bills. Hunger is not limited to only certain people. Children and adults of all ages are susceptible to the anxiety and fear of being without food. The USDA defines food insecurity as the lack of access to adequate food resulting from the lack of money and other resources; this means they don’t always know where they will find their next meal.

The following statistics were compiled by the staff of Atlanta Community Food Bank, a network member of Feeding America.

• 12.5% of Georgians are food insecure, meaning that they don’t always know where they will find their next meal. (Feeding America, Map the Meal Gap Data collected in 2018.)   
• 16.2% of Georgia children live in food insecure homes. (Feeding America, Map the Meal Gap Data collected in 2018.)   
• 13.3% of Georgians are living in poverty. (U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey Profile. 2019 estimate)  
• 18.7% of Georgia’s children (under age 18) live in poverty. (2019: ACS 1-year estimates data profile) 
• 10.6% of Georgia seniors live in poverty. (2019: ACS 1-year estimates data profile) 
• Georgia’s unemployment rate is 5.7%.  (Latest data is from November 2020 – new state numbers are generally posted on the third Friday of the month.) The most current unemployment rate for each state can be found on the U.S. Department of Labor’s website at http://www.bls.gov/lau/.  
• As of 2017, Georgia continues with minimum wage rate equal to the federal rate of $7.25. (U.S. Dept. of Labor, Employment Standards Admin. 2021)

For more information about Georgia Mountain Food Bank and how you can get involved, contact us at 770-534-4111.