Hunger 101

What is food insecurity?

As defined by the United States Department of Agriculture, food insecurity is a household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food.¹

Hunger is a physiological response to food insecurity, and impacts a child’s ability to excel in school, a person’s ability to work, and a community’s growth and success.¹ 

Manna is committed to ending hunger in our community, and improving food security throughout the North Penn region.

Food Insecurity in Our State & Community

• In Pennsylvania, over 1.1 million people are food insecure.²
• In Montgomery County, over 58,000 individuals are food insecure.³ 
• Poverty limits food options for many. In Montgomery County, 5.6% of people live below the poverty level;⁴  approximately 4,100 individuals live in poverty in the North Penn region.⁵ Although we live in an affluent community, many among us need help.

Learn More About Hunger!

To learn more about hunger in our region, state and nation, we suggest visiting these websites:

Feeding America, Map the Meal Gap: https://map.feedingamerica.org/
Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger: http://www.hungercoalition.org
Philabundance: http://www.philabundance.org/

¹The Hunger and Food Safety Net System, The Food Trust, 2013
²Feeding America, Map the Meal Gap, 2022 
³Feeding America, Map the Meal Gap, 2022
⁴ U.S. Census, 2021
⁵ U.S. Census, 2021