Page 28 - Annual Report 2017

Hunger in our Community

Merced County, California is home to 271,579 people, and 21,870 of our children are
hungry.

Merced County is often referred to as the epicenter of poverty and poverty related
issues, not only in California, but the nation. Data from the most recent census, USDA
school census, CA Dept. of Social Services, and the Feeding America “Map the Meal
Gap” report that:

• 51% of Merced County residents are enrolled in Medi-Cal; the highest rate in CA.
• 27.3% of the County’s children are food insecure.
• 25.9% of Merced County residents and 35% of Merced city residents live in poverty -

the 2nd highest rate in CA.

The per capita income for Merced County is 54th of 58 California counties and 22.1%
of the county residents rely on food stamps to make ends meet.

To illustrate the gravity of the challenges faced by our neighbors and our children,
it’s helpful to put the statistics related to those challenges into a comparable
national perspective.

There are 3,141 counties in the United States, and 595 of them have populations of
more than 99,999.

Of those 595 counties:
· Merced County had the 4th highest unemployment rate for 2016 at 10.5%.
· Merced County had the 12th highest poverty rate at 25.9%.
· Merced County ranked as the 12th lowest income per capita at $18,177.

Based on the 2015 US Census school data for children aged 5 – 17,
children in our communities are under siege by poverty.