Spotlight on Food Insecurity as a Root Cause of Poverty

Metrics That Matter:

Telling the Story Behind Food Insecurity

Click the above graphic to learn about the 10 root causes of poverty.

The Florida Chamber Foundation's Florida Equality of Opportunity Initiative is America’s first comprehensive Chamber-led strategy to cut childhood poverty in half, ensure all third graders are reading at grade level, and champion diversity and inclusiveness in the workplace.

Opportunity Insights is a monthly newsletter released by the Florida Equality of Opportunity Initiative to unite Florida's leaders around the ten root causes of poverty and ways to address each root cause with replicable solutions down to the zip code level, as we work to cut childhood poverty in half by 2030.

Find these and hundreds of other state and county level metrics on TheFloridaScorecard.org.

According to most recent data, 13.2% of all households in Florida are receiving SNAP benefits - one of many indicators of food insecurity. For households with at least one child under the age of 18, the figure is significantly higher at 46%. Although these percentages have been declining steadily since 2015, they still represent a significant portion of the population in Florida. This is just one piece of evidence of the widespread reality of food insecurity in the state.

Recent Poll by No Kid Hungry Florida Finds Nearly Half of Florida Parents Surveyed Facing One or More Symptoms of Food Insecurity

Food insecurity data from over 1,000 Floridian families polled by No Kid Hungry Florida was recently released. More than half of the poll respondents reported some form of food insecurity in the previous 12 months. Additionally, more than 75% reported difficulty affording food.

Click the button below to view the results from No Kid Hungry Florida's "Florida Hunger Survey."

View Florida Hunger Survey Report

Promising Practices:

Replicable Solutions to Address Food Insecurity Throughout Florida

Humana and Feeding America Partner to Create Food Insecurity Toolkit

Humana and Feeding America have collaborated to create a food insecurity toolkit for healthcare and non-healthcare professionals to improve screening and referral services for people experiencing food insecurity. This free resource is accessible online!

Access Toolkit

Feeding Tampa Bay Addresses Food Insecurity at Community Level

With community stability as their primary goal, Feeding Tampa Bay has worked to develop a comprehensive approach to addressing food insecurity through innovative programs such as mobile food pantries, school pantries, and more.

Promising Practices: Hebni's Afterschool Program Provides Nutrition Education to Students

The effects of food insecurity extend well beyond one's household. Hebni recognizes the lasting impacts of malnutrition on people of all ages and has created a community-based approach to educating high-risk, culturally diverse populations about nutrition strategies to prevent diet-related diseases.