Myth: Hunger is caused by a lack of food.

Fact: The world produces enough food to feed everyone, but access and distribution issues prevent it from reaching those who need it most.

Myth: Hunger only affects the homeless and unemployed.

Fact: Many working families also experience food insecurity due to low wages, high costs, and unexpected expenses.

Myth: You can easily tell when someone is experiencing food insecurity by their appearance.

Fact: It's often difficult to determine if someone is food insecure just by looking at them, as they may appear financially stable despite facing food challenges.

Myth: Food assistance programs are misused.

Fact: Food assistance programs, like SNAP, provide essential support, and a large portion of participants are children.

Myth: Hunger is a natural disaster.

Fact: While natural disasters can exacerbate hunger, the root causes of hunger are often related to inequity, poverty, and conflict.

Myth: Hunger is mostly found in urban areas.

Fact: Rural areas, especially farming communities, often experience high rates of hunger.

Myth: International food aid is the solution to hunger.

Fact: While food aid can be helpful in emergencies, it's not a long-term solution, as it can displace local farmers and create dependency. 

Myth There’s a hunger crisis in other parts of the world—not in America.

Fact: 47 million people face hunger in the United States. That’s more people than the entire population of Canada. And it means that across our nation, people simply can’t make ends meet. High housing costs, rising food prices, and unexpected expenses have left millions unable to stretch their dollars far enough. Sometimes they can put a warm meal on the table after a long day and sometimes they go to bed hungry.

Myth: People who face hunger in America are typically experiencing homelessness and unemployed.

Fact: Most of the households we serve are not experiencing homelessness, and they have at least one working adult. Even with a job and a place to call home, many people struggle to get by due to challenges like underemployment, stagnant wages and rising costs of living. According to a recent report by the Federal Reserve Board, if faced with a $400 emergency expense, 40% of American adults would either need to borrow money, sell something, or not be able to pay their bills. 

Myth: Hunger is most frequently found in cities.

Fact: Hunger is common in rural areas—including some of the farming communities that grow America’s crops. Seventy-nine percent of the counties with the highest hunger rates in America are in rural areas. Limited access to jobs, transportation, and education makes it tough to earn a living in remote areas like rural Alaska. Some are forced to choose between paying for groceries or other essentials like heat. This is an especially difficult choice for parents during the winter, and it’s all too common.

Myth: Food waste and hunger are different problems with different solutions.

Fact: By reducing food waste in America, we can also help reduce hunger. Seventy-two billion pounds of good food goes to waste each year in America, while at the same time, 47 million people face hunger. 

Myth: I can’t do much to help overcome challenges like hunger and food waste.

Fact: Individual actions add up to make a significant impact. There are many ways you can help ITAVTFOC fight hunger. After all, the compassion of supporters and volunteers like you enables the ITAVTFOC's network to millions of people every year in PA-NJ-DE. But there is still much more work to be done nationally.

‍