LAFAYETTE -- A new study, Food Banks: Hunger’s New Staple, released today by Feeding America finds that many Americans chronically depend on food pantries and other charitable food services to feed themselves and their families.

The study provides an inaugural in-depth look at the frequency and duration in which low-income families seek food assistance from food banks and the agencies they serve.

Food Finders Food Bank, Inc. supplies food items to over 170 of those agencies. Currently, more than 96,750 Indiana residents in the Food Finders service area are food insecure, many of which live in Lafayette and West Lafayette.

“In the last year median income in Indiana has dropped by close to $2,000 and Indiana has seen a 10 percent increase in the number of children living in poverty in just one year,” said Katy Bunder, Food Finders executive director. “Food pantries provide immediate assistance to needy families. We cannot keep food on our shelves and we really need those who are able to give to donate generously and often so that we can ensure that those who are unemployed or underemployed, and their children, will have food to eat.”

Food Banks:   Hunger’s New Staple study found emergency food from pantries is no longer being used to meet temporary acute food needs – instead, for the majority of people seeking food assistance, food pantries are now a part of households’ long term strategies to supplement monthly shortfalls in food.

The guiding analysis plan for this study involved the utilization of a pantry frequency question among clients surveyed for the Hunger in America 2010 project. Feeding America is comprised of more than 200 food banks that provide food and groceries to more than 61,000 agencies, including food pantries, soup kitchens and other emergency feeding sites.

Among the key findings of the report are:

A majority of people visiting Feeding America food pantries (54 percent) have used a food pantry for at least six months or more during the past year.

More than one third of all people visiting food pantries (36 percent) report having used a food pantry at least every month within the past year.

These clients also report they have used a food pantry for more than 28 consecutive months, on average.

Among the elderly, well more than half (56 percent) are long term recurrent pantry users, suggesting that the fixed incomes of elderly may be insufficient to provide for basic needs.

The study found seniors are disproportionately affected in becoming frequent or recurrent users.   One out of three recurrent clients are 60 years of age or older.

Among clients currently receiving SNAP benefits, more than half (58 percent) are recurrent or frequent users.

Among clients currently receiving SNAP benefits, more than half (58 percent) are recurrent or frequent users.

Households that are food secure are more likely to have recurrent clients than other types of households. Although we cannot state this relationship to be casual in nature, it is preliminary evidence that in terms of food security, food pantry use over longer durations may lower the likelihood of food insecurity.

For more information, go to http://feedingamerica.org/HungersNewStaple

About Feeding America: Feeding America provides low-income individuals and families with the fuel to survive and even thrive. As the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity, our network members supply food to more than 37 million Americans each year, including 14 million children and 3 million seniors. Serving the entire United States, more than 200 member food banks support 61,000 agencies that address hunger in all of its forms. For more information on how you can fight hunger in your community and across the country, visit http://www.feedingamerica.org. Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/FeedingAmerica or follow our news on Twitter at twitter.com/FeedingAmerica.

About Food Finders Food Bank: Since 1981, Food Finders Food Bank has worked to provide full service programs that meet the nutritional needs of more than 170 nonprofit agencies in 16 counties in mid-north Indiana. The food bank manages programs to secure additional food and nonfood products, provide food safety training, rescue food items otherwise wasted, and to fund essential purchased product items. With the help of many, Food Finders continues each day to provide a hand up to those in need. In 2010, Food Finders distributed over 5.3 million pounds of food throughout Mid-North Indiana. For more information or to make a donation, contact Food Finders Food Bank, Inc. at 765-471-0062 or visit www.food-finders.org.