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Hunger On Rise, Survey Shows
Summary results from a new survey show poor Broward families struggle to feed their children. 06-05-2007 Amy Sherman, asherman@MiamiHerald.com Jennifer Hahn, a single mother from Davie, struggles to put food on the table for her three daughters. Hahn's $9-an-hour part-time salary at her marketing job doesn't stretch very far at the grocery store. "There are times I am willing to sacrifice myself eating to make sure my girls have food," Hahn said. "I can't even put it into words how it feels not to have money to feed my kids." A summary of survey results released Monday showed that nearly two-thirds of low-income families can't always afford to give their children a balanced meal. Complete survey results will be released later this month. To save on food, some residents eat non-nutritious meals, which are usually cheaper than healthier ones. And residents must make painful decisions every day about which bills to pay. "They are making decisions between whether they are going to feed their cars or feed themselves," said Mary Macomber, chairwoman of the Coordinating Council of Broward. The council's Million Meals Committee, which has representatives from more than 65 agencies, sought the survey to quantify the amount of hunger in Broward. The results were timed to coincide with today's National Hunger Awareness Day. The survey was conducted in February by the Broward Regional Health Planning Council and paid for by the Children's Services Council. The planning council went to places such as healthcare centers that serve low-income residents and surveyed more than 800 people who earn $35,000 or less a year. About 57 percent of the respondents had children. The findings were grim: Of families with children, 77.5 percent relied on only a few kinds of low-cost food for their kids, and 31 percent sometimes reduced the size of their child's meal. And many adults -- 62 percent -- cut the size of their own meal or skipped meals some months. As many as 27 percent of adults did not eat for a whole day. Advocates said they hope the Broward survey spurs the public to organize more food drives and puts pressure on state legislators to provide more money for feeding programs. "We need to look at ourselves and what a disgrace we've become -- a lack of humanity for each other," said Marti Forman, CEO of the Cooperative Feeding Program in Fort Lauderdale. "We will feed a hungry dog but walk away from a hungry person." Hunger hits senior citizens hard as well. The number visiting the H.O.P.E Outreach Center in Davie has increased by 20 percent since 2004, Executive Director Helen Shinners said. "Social Security isn't keeping up with the cost of living in Broward," she said. About 48,000 households in Broward and 173,000 in Miami-Dade County get food stamps, according to the Florida Department of Children & Families. But illegal immigrants aren't eligible for food stamps, and only about 40 percent of residents who are eligible actually get them, said Jack Moss, administrator of DCF in Broward. Hahn said she recently got approved for $300 a month in food stamps to help feed her daughters, ages 5, 6 and 9. That will allow her to buy some fresh produce and more meat. "I buy what's cheap," Hahn said. 'I buy a lot of 'buy one, get one free.' We have to stick with canned produce. "Just because I work doesn't mean I can put food on the table for my kids," she said. 
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