Report exposes high hunger rates

Nine percent of people in Charlottesville and surrounding Albemarle County, including 16 percent of children, suffer from food insecurity, according to a report released last Thursday by Feeding America, a national hunger relief charity. The food bank defines food insecurity as a condition in which sufferers do not know where their next meal will come from.

Kevin Ruddle, branch manager of the Charlottesville branch of the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, said this new study will "get people to understand that the face of hunger hasn't changed." With these new numbers publicly available, Feeding America is showing a "wider spread" of food insecurity, rather than just looking at poverty line statistics, Ruddle said.

Biology Prof. Reginald Garrett is personally involved in the issue of food insecurity. In his course, "Principles of Nutrition," Garrett said he frequently covers issues like hunger and food insecurity.\nGarrett said it is important to understand that "there is indeed food insecurity in the U.S., even given the affluence of this country."

In the spring of 2010, Garrett organized a food drive which included student volunteers from his class. Garrett said "a small cohort" of students tend to take interest in food security concerns, but most students are "generally disinterested."

Another problem with food drives, Garrett said, is they happen sporadically and inconsistently, and "the need for food is relentless. We go through periods, like now, [when] the food bank is exhausting supplies and there are no food drives going on"

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