Results from the “Hunger In North Dakota” Study Are Out

Issues like housing, transportation, and medical problems often coexist with hunger

FARGO, N.D. — Results of the Hunger in North Dakota study are out. They were presented at the Cass Clay Food Commission meeting.

The study surveyed 500 clients and 175 agencies including food pantries, shelters, and soup kitchens.

A key point is that hunger affects a variety of people. Many clients are actually educated, housed, and employed.

Some of them don’t qualify for SNAP because they make more than the minimum wage.

Other issues often coexist with hunger like housing, transportation, and medical issues.

“A food box can sometimes just be a band–aid solution. We will never end hunger unless we address all of those root causes. If the food bank could go out of business tomorrow because we have no hunger in the community, we would be very happy. That’s what we’re working for every single day,” Melissa Sobolik, director of the Ending Hunger 2.0 initiative, said.

Another issue is that lots of agencies actually don’t have enough space or equipment to store food.