This taken from the Redwood Empire Food Bank website.

Our interviews with emergency food recipients uncovered four significant findings.We found that the unique economics of Sonoma County directly contribute to hunger in vulnerable populations; there is a high degree of food insecurity for families with children; large numbers of senior citizens are in need of food assistance; and, finally, that there is an under-utilization of government assistance programs by qualified people. The following statistics are derived from the people interviewed at emergency food sites.

Finding #1

• The high cost of living in Sonoma County leaves people struggling to put food on the table.
• For recipient households that pay for housing, 51.6% of their income is spent on rent or mortgage, creating hard choices between necessary living expenses and food.
• 81.7% of people attending food distributions often or sometimes do not have enough money to purchase food for an entire month.
• A job is no guarantee against hunger—45.6% of recipients who are working often run out of food.
• Many with disabilities need additional assistance—55.7% of disabled recipients often run out of food.
• Public assistance does not ensure food security—55.2% of respondents receiving public assistance often run out of food each month and do not have money to buy more.
  

Finding #2

• Households with children are especially vulnerable to hunger.
• 75.5% of recipient households with children have incomes below the federal poverty line (an annual income of $18,100 for a family of 4).
• Of all those interviewed, households with children have the greatest experience of hunger—93.7% sometimes or often run out of food and do not have enough money to get more.
• 77.7% of recipient households with children report that they sometimes or often can’t afford to eatbalanced meals.
• When asked if their children were ever hungry and did not eat because they couldn’t afford enough food, 24.4% answered yes.