DO YOU KNOW WHAT HUNGER LOOKS LIKE?
Treasure Coast Food Bank serves nearly 100,000 individuals per week. Through our network of more than 300 partner agencies and our own direct service programs, we distribute millions of pounds of nutritious food and meals a year to help solve hunger in our community!
WHO WE SERVE
CHILDREN
In our community, 1 in 4 children are food-insecure. Not having healthy, nutritious food at every meal will affect their development. Hunger can negatively impact kids for the rest of their lives. Without proper nutrition, a child can’t grow strong and healthy.
SENIORS
For many senior citizens living on a fixed or limited income, their food budget is overwhelmed by payments for rent and utilities and the cost of medications. Without a consistent source of staple groceries, many seniors struggle with food insecurity and malnutrition.
WORKING FAMILIES
Every day, nearly 100,000 people in our community struggle with not having enough food. That includes the working poor who face difficult choices like buying food or paying the rent and utility bills. The ability to sufficiently provide nutritious food for their families is our goal.
SINGLE PARENTS
Providing for your family as a single parent is not easy. Single parents often find that the ability to provide nutritious food loses priority to other expenses such as rent, transportation, utilities, and daycare.
VETERANS
Of those served through the Feeding America network, 1 in 5 households includes a family member who is a current or former military member. It is unacceptable that millions of Americans who’ve protected and served our country are left without enough to eat.
HOMELESS
When you don’t have a stable roof over your head, getting enough nutritious food to stay healthy and take on life’s challenges can be impossible. That’s why Treasure Coast Food Bank is committed to improving access to meet the growing need for our community’s homeless population.
COUNTIES WE SERVE
Our service area covers four counties – Indian River, Martin, St. Lucie, and Okeechobee County.
Hunger Statistics on the Treasure Coast
Nearly 100,000 people on the Treasure Coast do not know where their next meal is coming from. Florida is ranked 12th in the nation for food insecurity with 1 in 7 living in food insecure homes.
The Root Causes of Food Insecurity
Poverty is frequently cited as the root cause of food insecurity. In the U.S., low-income households are much more likely to be food insecure. Unemployment, low wages, and other burdens can make it difficult to obtain adequate, nutritious food—especially when household food budgets must compete with other priorities, such as housing, medical, and child-care costs.
Overall Food Insecurity Rate
Overall Poverty Rate
Indian River County
Martin County
Okeechobee County
St. Lucie County
Child Food Insecurity Rate
Child Poverty Rate
Indian River County
Martin County
Okeechobee County
St. Lucie County
Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization, has updated their landmark study, “Map the Meal Gap,” providing further insight about the number of meals missing from the tables of America’s hungry each year – an estimated 42,238,000 nationwide.
A summary of the findings, an interactive map of the United States, and the full report are available on Feeding America’s website.
