For a ǻ family of four, it costs over $126,000 just to meet their basic needs, according to . That’s more than four times the federal poverty level.
Food insecurity is a big part of the problem, affecting more than 1 in 10 ǻ residents, according to ǻ Foodshare. A new report from the United States Department of Agriculture found the national rate of food insecurity jumped by more than 2% from 2021 to 2022, now 12.8% of U.S. households.
This hour, UConn's Dr. Caitlin Caspi joins us to address some of the misconceptions around food insecurity.
"Food insecurity isn't happening in a vacuum," she says. "It's really intersecting with a lot of other challenges that people face," including stable housing, health insurance, job security, disability, and other factors. "Food insecurity isn't primarily a story about food," says Dr. Caspi. "It's about many facets of economic instability."
Plus, we'll discuss some of ǻ Foodshare’s efforts to address food insecurity where we live, including an income-based grocery store coming soon to Hartford, where food insecurity rates are highest in the state.
Hartford High School just launched the Grub Pub, an in-school pantry. Principal Flora Padro joins us later in the hour, describing the "new normal" she envisions.
GUESTS:
- Associate Professor, University of ǻ's ; Director of Food Security Initiatives, Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health
- Jason Jakubowski: President & CEO,
- Ben Dubow: Executive Director,
- Flora Padro: Principal, Hartford High School
Cat Pastor contributed to this episode which originally aired October 26, 2023.
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