EFN

These figures were released last week by Feeding America, the largest hunger-relief group in the nation. The results from the research conducted by this organization are astonishing. One in eight Americans received emergency food help sometime during the 2009 year. This number has increased more than 46 percent since 2005. Even more overwhelming is the fact that one in five of the people who received assistance were children.

Many Americans are receiving this emergency food help in the form of food stamps. In fact, over 33 millions Americans received food stamps in 2009. This is a record number of people receiving food stamp benefits.

On Monday, President Barack Obama proposed that 1 billions dollars be added to the budget annually. This money would be used to fund school-based food programs, helping to make sure every child receives at least one hot meal per day. This announcement comes after President Obama set a goal of ending childhood hunger by the year 2015.

These recent findings were based on interviews conducted with 61,000 people who were actively seeking food aid, as well as 37,000 surveys of programs affiliated with Feeding America food banks, such as food pantries, soup kitchens, and emergency shelters. The results of this research showed that many people had to choose between eating or paying other necessary items, such as rent and utility bills.