This data was compiled by the Food Resource and Action Center from Gallup Healthways Well-being Index data. The Gallup Healthways survey asks the following question: “Have there been times in the past twelve months when you did not have enough money to buy food that you or your family needed?” The percentage of affirmative responses has seen an overall decline since 2008, with one year gap of data not collected in 2013.

The leading factor effecting whether or not a family has enough money to buy food is employment. The Central CT Coast YMCA (CCCYMCA) has noted many parents of its youth participants struggle to find jobs that allow them to afford basic food products for their family.

The state of Connecticut has undertaken multiple efforts to assist lower income families that are not earning enough to buy food. One of these policies includes a state-level Earned Income Tax Credit. Connecticut also participates in federal free and reduced lunch programs and SNAP programs that reduce the daily cost of meals for families with financial constraints. Parents enrolled in SNAP also gain access to training and tools to become financially independent through employment.

The CCCYMCA has indicated local programs like food pantries, as well as the acceptance of state WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) checks by city farmers markets at a 2:1 ratio have made food more readily available to families at risk. In addition, End Hunger CT! has identified a newer school meal program, called “Community Eligibility”, as an effective program to fight food insecurity. Community Eligibility allows schools with 40% or more of their students on SNAP (or other social service programs such as TANF) to be federally reimbursed for free meals to all students in the school, addressing the needs of families who may be on the verge of being eligible for SNAP benefits. Schools using community eligibility are able to feed all children in the school without the requirement that all families fall within a certain level of income.

• Department of Education
• Department of Agriculture
• End Hunger CT!
• UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity
• CT Food Bank
• Food Research and Action Center
• Central Connecticut Coast YMCA

• Heighten awareness of and participation in SNAP, as well as summer, breakfast, and supper programs.
• Embed federal nutrition programs in the infrastructure of communities.
• Increase awareness and connect more families to SNAP benefits and school meals by collaborating with schools.
• Increase alternative models of meal delivery, such as in-classroom breakfast, at risk after school meals and summer programs.
• Work with school districts to participate in Community Eligibility Programs so all children receive nutritious foods at school.

Strategies provided by End Hunger CT!