by Viktoria Sundqvist CTNewsJunkie
Following the US Department of Agriculture’s decision to end its Household Food Security Reports, Connecticut Foodshare says it wants to step up and fill the gap on the state level.
In a letter to Gov. Ned Lamont and state lawmakers last week, CT Foodshare President and CEO Jason Jakubowski said a lack of data will make it even more difficult for state and federal lawmakers to make bipartisan, data-driven decisions related to hunger.
“While we can’t speak to the collection of data at the federal level, I do want to personally assure you that Connecticut Foodshare can and will fill this gap at the state level,” Jakubowski said in his letter. “We will continue to collect and report data on food insecurity here in Connecticut, and we will report it out to you — and the public — on an annual basis just as the USDA used to do.”
The USDA consistently tracked food insecurity data for 30 years in the United States, providing critical insight into the scope and severity of food insecurity, helping policymakers, advocates, and food banks better understand and respond to the needs of our neighbors, the Foodshare president said.
“If the federal government chooses to stop measuring food insecurity data, it doesn’t mean the issue of food insecurity doesn’t exist,” Jakubowski said in a news release. “With continued concerns about rising food costs and cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), national food insecurity data is more important than ever for a comprehensive understanding of hunger in America.”
Calling the USDA’s decision a “major blow,” Jakubowski said CT Foodshare remains committed to collecting and publishing as much data as possible about the state of hunger in Connecticut with the help of its Data & Impact Team, led by Chief Data & Impact Officer Tyler Kleykamp, who used to work as a chief data officer for the state.
“Tyler and his team have been recognized by OnCon Icon as one of the 100 best data teams in the country, and they will be more than happy to annually collect and report this non-partisan data in the absence of the USDA data,” Jakubowski said.
More than 516,000 people in Connecticut are struggling with food insecurity, an increase of more than 10% over the prior year, CT Foodshare has previously reported. That means about one in seven Connecticut residents is food insecure, the data shows.
CT Foodshare serves 600 local food pantries across Connecticut’s 169 towns and offers a Mobile Pantry Program, which distributes food at 113 sites in nearly 70 towns.
FILE PHOTO: Volunteers from Bank of America help unload turkey donations and sort produce at Connecticut Foodshare in Wallingford on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. Credit: Viktoria Sundqvist / CTNewsJunkie