Hunger hits Black communities harder

The Black community consistently faces hunger at higher rates than whites due to social, economic, and environmental challenges. In 2020, 24% of Black individuals experienced food insecurity - more than three times the rate of white households.

Black communities face many unique challenges that result in being more likely to face hunger during the pandemic

Discriminatory policies and practices have led Black people to be more likely to live in poverty, more likely to face unemployment, and have fewer financial resources like savings or property than their white counterparts. All of these factors increase someone's likelihood to experience hunger.
Due to the pandemic, food insecurity in the Black community increased. An estimated 24% of the Black community experienced food insecurity in 2020. Black children are almost three times more likely to live in a food-insecure household than white children.
Black people, especially Black women, are more likely to be essential frontline workers and more likely to work in the industries hardest hit by the pandemic.
The median income for Black households is roughly $46,000 per year while non-Hispanic, white households earned a median income of roughly $71,000 per year.
While the United States has an overall poverty rate of 11.4%, within the Black community, the poverty rate is 19.5%. Meanwhile, poverty in the non-Hispanic, white community is 10.1%.

Learn how Black leaders throughout the Feeding America are leading the fight against hunger >

Cathy

Chicago,

Illinois

I've been given a lot of mercy and grace. And with that, there's a responsibility to be a light...to give other people hope.

On Cathy Moore's darkest day, she found hope at a food pantry in Chicago. Now, years later, she's the director of that pantry, and a light of hope in her community. This is her story.

Watch Cathy's Story