Hunger in Washington State

Since 1998, Washington State has been listed among the top twelve worst states
in the nation for hunger and food insecurity (Nord, Andrews, & Carlson, 2005).
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), from 2002 to 2004
an average of 12 percent of Washington households were food insecure, and 4.3 percent
of these families also experienced hunger (Nord, et al, 2000). Both food insecurity and
hunger in Washington State are up from last year, when the three year averages were 11.6
and 3.9, respectfully (Nord, Andrews, & Carlson, 2004). Food insecurity is defined as the
uncertain availability of food through socially acceptable methods, and hunger is when
this uncertainty is realized as a lack of sufficient food (Economic Research
Service/USDA, 2004). Read more