Milwaukee is the 9th poorest city in the U.S.

Milwaukee hunger
Where there is poverty, there is hunger. According to a 2007 report by the US Census Bureau, Milwaukee is the 9th poorest city in the country--26% of city residents live at or below the poverty line.

Evidence that people in our community are food insecure abounds. 211@IMPACT, a community information call center, reports that requests for emergency food were the number one reason for calls, resulting in more than 25,000 phone calls for food assistance in 2007.

Wisconsin hunger
Over 600,000 Wisconsin residents live in poverty. (A family of four is considered poor if they live on less than $21,200 a year. Research shows, however, that a four person family needs to make twice this amount to make ends meet).   This poverty translates into a need for food assistance. In March of 2008, over 416,000 residents in Wisconsin applied for and received Food Stamps.   That represents nearly a 40 percent increase over 5 years and it is the highest number ever in the history of the Food Stamp Program in Wisconsin.