|  FAQ and FoodLink Facts
What do words like "food insecurity" and "hunger" mean?
Who is going hungry?
Why does FoodLink's vision focus on children?
Why are some food-insecure children and adults overweight?
FAQ information sources
 FoodLink Facts
- FoodLink has been providing food to Tulare County families since 1978.
- FoodLink handles and distributes 9-10 million pounds of food for hungry families every year, yet even this is not fully addressing the need.
- FoodLink provides food to more than 100,000 people every year.
- One-third of our children in Tulare County live in poverty.
- The vast majority of people in need of food here are children or elderly.
- 700 volunteers countywide perform much of FoodLink's distribution and food handling work.
- Nearly 20% of all food grown and processed is never sold. Much of this food can be used to supplement food assistance to hungry families.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA):
Food insecurity means that people do not have access to adequate food or enough money to buy food, or access to food in a socially acceptable way (e.g. without having to use food pantries, steal, or scavenge.)
Hunger is defined as "the uneasy or painful sensation caused by an involuntary lack of food." (Bickel et al, 2000)
Poverty and hunger go hand in hand. The highest rates of food insecurity in California occur among families with incomes below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines. In 2005, this meant a family of four earning less than $38,700 per year. (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2005)
Fully one-third of Tulare County's children live in poverty. (Henshaw, 2005)
FoodLink's vision, "No Child Goes Hungry," reflects recent research which shows the adverse effects of food insecurity on children's health, development, psychosocial functioning, and learning. Compared to children in food secure households, children in food insecure households are more likely to have:
- overall poorer health status
- frequent sore throats, colds, stomachaches, headaches
- iron-deficiency anemia
- impaired cognitive function
- diminished capacity to learn
- behavioral problems such as hyperactivity, aggression, withdrawn behaviors
(Center on Hunger and Poverty, 2002 and Children's Defense Fund, 2004)
The majority of children in Tulare County--nearly 50,000 of them--are elementary-school-age, between 6-11 years old. If a third of these children are food-insecure and/or going hungry, this translates to nearly 17,000 children in our classrooms who are experiencing preventable hunger-related difficulties that are adversely affecting their ability to perform in school. A hungry child does not suffer alone. Behavioral problems and low academic performance also affect fellow classmates and teachers, as well as the school and district overall when these problems are reflected in school test scores.
Because children are our future, all of us need to be concerned about the quality and productivity of our up-and-coming generation.
It may seem counter-intuitive that food-insecure children and adults are also more likely to be overweight.
While research into this problem is ongoing, studies indicate that childhood obesity and overweight may result from overeating when food is available. When money is short, families often "fill up" on foods that are low in cost and high in fat or carbohydrates, and often lacking in nutritional value.
FoodLink, along with serving as a food bank, engages in continuous outreach to poor families and individuals, to encourage them to utilize the federal programs that exist to help them. For more information on FoodLink programs, click here.
Henshaw, Jake. "Tulare County residents among state's poorest." Visalia Times-Delta. November 30, 2005
Sutton, Petra et al. (October, 2004) "Hunger and Food Insecurity Among San Joaquin Valley Children in Immigrant Families." Fresno: Central California Children's Institute, California State University, Fresno.
2001 California Health Interview Survey. Los Angeles: UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.
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No Child Goes Hungry
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FoodLink for Tulare County, Inc. is a private, local nonprofit food bank that has been serving children, seniors, and families in Tulare County since 1978. FoodLink’s network of partner agencies and organizations distributes millions of pounds of food each year to needy families.
 FoodLink for Tulare County, Inc.
Mailing address:
P.O. Box 1544 Visalia, CA. 93279
Physical address:
7427 W. Sunnyview Visalia, CA. 93291
Phone: (559) 651-3663 Fax: (559) 651-2569 |
