Facts and Statistics
Facts and Statistics 
Please click here to download our Gallatin Valley Food Bank 2007 Annual Report (PDF format).
Please click here to download our Headwaters Area Food Bank 2006 Annual Report (PDF format).
Hunger Awareness
Food Insecurity – is the inability to access food in a consistent and socially acceptable manner to meet the family’s nutritional needs. Food insecurity is charachterized by not having the financial means to buy or grow food, the need for emergency food assistance and adults skipping meals. Food insecurity exists when the availability of nutritionally adequate food or the ability to access it on a consistent basis is uncertain or limited.
Hunger – is the condition where both adults and children cannot access food consistently and have to reduce food intake, eat poor diets and often go without any food. Hunger is also defined as the uneasy or painful sensation when it is caused by lack of food.
State of Montana Population Highlights*
| Total population (2006) | 944,632 |
| Total population change (2005-2006) | 1% |
| Poverty Rate (2004) | 14% |
| Number of Jobs (2005) | 613,425 |
| Annual Average Wage per Job (2006) | $30,534 |
| Unemployment Rate (2005) | 3.3% |
Gallatin County Highlights*
| Total Population (2006) | 80,921 |
| Total Population Change (2005-2006) | 3% |
| Poverty Rate (2004) | 11% |
| Number of Jobs (2005) | 63,379 |
| Annual Average Wage per Job (2006) | $30,135 |
| Unemployment Rate (Nov 2007) | 2.7% |
| Monthly Average Number of Recipients of all ages that received Food Stamps (FY 2006)** | 2,704 |
| Number of students enrolled in pre-K to 12th grade that were eligible for free-reduced lunch program (2004-2005)** | 9,717 |
*Information Provided by Northwest Area Foundation, http://www.indicators.nwaf.org
**Information Provided by the 2006 Databook, Montana KIDS COUNT, www.bber.umt.edu
Gallatin Valley Food Bank Highlights (2007):
| Number of emergency food boxes distributed | 7,363 |
| Average number of NEW families requesting assistance at the Food Bank each month | 110 |
|
Percent of households requesting assistance three times or less within a calendar year |
69% |
| Percent of households that are headed by a single parent | 25% |
| Percent of households that are elderly | 4% |
| Percent of households that are employed | 52% |
For pounds of food distributed, funding sources and further local statistics, please refer to our Annual Report.
HUNGRY IN MONTANA:
Factors Contributing to Emergency Food Needs
2006 Client Hunger Survey
Report by
The Food Security Council
Montana Food Bank Network
Major Findings:
|
Poverty Rates |
|
| Urban Areas | 64.9% |
| Reservations | 88.9% |
| Rural Areas | 67.6% |
| Employment & Education | |
| Looking for Work, Urban | 26.7% |
| Looking for Work, Rural | 21.3% |
| Looking for Work, Reservation | 38.5% |
| No employment due to disability/poor health, Urban | 55.8% |
| No employment due to disability/poor health, Reservation | 50.0% |
| No employment due to disability/poor health, Rural | 70.2% |
| Head of Household completed high school, all sites | 73% |
| Head of Household attended college or trade school, all sites | 34% |
| Difficult Choices: Medicine, Utilities, Housing Costs | |
| Client reported having to choose between food and rent | 38.9% |
| Client reported having to choose between food and medicine | 38.2% |
| Client reported having to choose between food and utilities | 51.4% |
| Economic Factors Impacting Food Budgets | |
| Low Wages/Fixed Income | 70% |
| Utility Costs | 25% |
| Rent/Mortgage Costs | 28% |
| Unemployment | 23% |
| Health Care Costs | 16% |
| Disability | 25% |
| Food Stamps Exhausted | 16% |
| Repair Bills | 7.5% |
| Childcare Costs | 3% |
| Public Assistance Cut | 9% |
For further information regarding this report, contact Minkie Medora or Kate Bradford at:
Montana Food Bank Network
5625 Expressway
Missoula, MT 59808
406.721.3825
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