Importing Poverty: 30% of Hispanic Children Receive Food Assistance

Anyone who argues that immigration is economically beneficial to America is eating their words after the latest “Hunger in America” survey revealed that 30 percent of Latino children, or more than four million individuals, in the United States live in a family receiving private emergency food assistance, such as from a food pantry or soup kitchen.

This figure compares to one in ten white children, according to Feeding America’s quadrennial study. In addition, a Feeding America press release said, “the finding that 31 percent of children served by the Feeding America network is Latino indicates a growing need for culturally-appropriate service delivery.”

Lower receipt of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits by Latino families served by the Feeding America network suggest that low-income Hispanic families may be at greater nutritional risk than other demographic groups, based on ignorance of the system, rather than actual need.

The 2010 reports, “Emergency Food Assistance Helps Many Low-Income Hispanic Children,” and “Low-Income Hispanic Children Need Both Private and Public Food Assistance,” by researchers Michael Martinez-Schiferl and Sheila R. Zedlewski suggest that, overall, emergency food assistance from private providers offers a lifeline to many Latino families whose needs are not being met by their own resources or by the federal nutrition safety net.

Latino children served by the Feeding America network are significantly more likely to live in households with working adults (63 percent) than Caucasian (51 percent) or African American children (40 percent).  Even so, Hispanic children in the U.S. remain highly likely to be poor:  30 percent of Hispanic children lived in poverty in 2008.

Martinez-Schiferl and Zedlewski note, “Most of the households with children that turn to food banks get help multiple times during the year, reflecting high rates of deep poverty below one-half of the federal poverty level and food insecurity.”

Poverty rates for blacks and Hispanics greatly exceed the national average. In 2009, 25.8 percent of blacks and 25.3 percent of Hispanics were poor, compared to 9.4 percent of non-Hispanic whites and 12.5 percent of Asians.

Poverty rates are highest for families headed by single women, particularly if they are black or Hispanic. In 2009, 29.9 percent of households headed by single women were poor, while 16.9 percent of households headed by single men and 5.8 percent of married-couple households lived in poverty.

There are also differences between native-born and foreign-born residents. In 2009, 19.0 percent of foreign-born residents lived in poverty, compared to 13.7 percent of residents born in the United States. Foreign-born, non-citizens had an even higher incidence of poverty, at a rate of 25.1 percent.

* The Feeding America report also revealed that 60 percent of food aid recipients in America are nonwhite.

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Category: Establishment News

Comments (5)

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  1. NonWhiteConservatist says:

    First I would like to say I am not white and was just browsing around the web and found this article. Now here me out I totally agree with you guys because I know how hard its is to be waiting in line at the grocery store and see the mexican ladies in front paying in wellfare with their husband waiting in their brand new truck along with their 5 kids. So disappointing and straight out aggravating. Private organizations shouldn’t be fooled by these people they are just parasites milking anything they can to send all under the table earned cash back to their native lands. please don’t forget that there’s a few people like me maybe not white but still following the rules like the citizens we are.

  2. lonewatchman says:

    This article is primarily about PRIVATE food assistance, not government welfare. So you're not going to know who's getting it by observing them at the store. This is why you must be very careful about which charities you donate to, and which church you attend. For instance there are 3 nationally known "mega-churches" in my area, one is a useless PC limp wristed, Christ last "church" which no doubt pisses away the congregations tithes on feel good social policy. Another is very strict about their food pantry, you may only access it if you agree to financial counseling, you have to open up your whole life to them and follow the plan to self reliance if you wish to access the charitable services. The 3rd church, I have no knowledge of.

    The locals you'll have to investigate yourself, but there is http://www.ministrywatch.org to help with investigating the big boys.

  3. mini says:

    Inquiring mind, stand in line at a Food for Less, if you want validation. I, a working white individual. cough up my cold, hard earned cash, while my mexican compadres, replete with cell phones, speak in spanish and pay in welfare, on my dime, I might add. This has happened so many times I have stopped counting. Time to do something. This is not right.

  4. Inquiring Mind says:

    That's an interesting article. How about a link to the original source?

    ED: Here we go.

  5. Robert Jones says:

    So much for the constant refrain that these people are here to contribute to the betterment of our society and “do jobs Americans won’t do”.

    They are here for one reason only and that is to pillage and plunder without the slightest regard to the better interests of American and its genuine citizens. It should be obvious to all but the dull or devious that these people are invading our country for their own selfish interests. Just chalk this up on the ever increasing liability ledger with all the other unjust expenditures the American people are forced to pay such as, free medical, free education, law enforcement and incarceration, etc, because our treacherous Federal government will not abide by the laws of the land.