Hunger Study 2010
81% of the clients we feed are food insecure, meaning they live with the day-to-day
risk of running out of food.
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Hunger Study Report (pdf)
1.38MB, may take a few minutes to download
Fact sheet (pdf)
This study is conducted every four years and gives the Houston Food Bank insight into hunger in Southeast Texas. Clients are randomly selected from a sampling of 450 food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and other hunger relief charities across 18 Southeast Texas counties. 
Clients Served
• 865,800 unique individuals require assistance from HFB annually, a 74% increase from 2006
• Each week we feed 137,000 people, up from 80,000 people fed per week in 2006, an increase of 70%
• Only 23% of our clients receive food stamps, a reflection of the low participation in the food stamps program in Southeast Texas
Difficult Choices
• 60% of our clients are forced to choose between paying utility bills and putting food on the table, up 13% from the last hunger study
• 52% of our clients must choose between paying for food and the mortgage
• The number of clients choosing between going to the doctor or filling prescriptions and paying for food has risen to 43% since the last Hunger Study
Face of Hunger in Southeast Texas
• 47% are children
• 49% of households have at least one working adult
• 94% are not homeless
• 18% of our clients are Anglo, 39% are African-American, and 41% are Hispanic; a fairly balanced cross-section of our community
Agencies
• Volunteers are essential to HFB and our agencies: More than 90% of our agencies rely on volunteers
• 68% of our agencies are faith based; e.g. congregations, social service ministries
*Data is based on a local and nationwide survey conducted on behalf of Feeding America by Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.