Food Insecurity On The Rise In WA State

The economy is a very complex thing. At any given time, some things are doing really well, but some are not. Similarly, at any given time some people are doing great…and some are not. Washington State has had a crazy year, with both ups and downs! Lately, though, it seems as though the downs are winning because everything keeps getting more expensive. Sadly, one of the biggest impacts is on people’s ability to reliably get enough food for themselves and their families.

‍

Here are Five Fast Facts about food insecurity in Washington State:

1. 📈 On The Rise - From 2019-2021, about 8% of households in Washington were living with food insecurity. From 2020-2022 that rose to an average of 8.3%. No, no, no…that’s the wrong way!

2. 🍲 Now Serving - One food provider in the Seattle area served 700k people per year before the pandemic. Now that number is a whopping 1.6 million. Visits to food banks rose by as much as 50-60% this year.

3. 🏠 Bringing It Home - This all equates to about one in 12 households living with food insecurity, and one of every six kids in the state lives in one of those homes. 😭

4. 💼 Jobs Outlook - A contributing factor to food insecurity is the jobs outlook in the state. Layoffs are spreading all around the country, but the Evergreen State is one of the hardest hit. So far in 2023, more than 38,000 workers have been laid off, the fourth highest number in the nation. 😲

5. 😞 Now Hiring…No, Not Really - Another compounding factor is that the number of open jobs available has gone down at the same time. As of November, employers had planned to hire a total of 775k workers throughout 2023. That’s the lowest yearly total since 2015.

🔥Bottom line: We’re really talking about a perfect storm of problems - inflation driving up the cost of everything (and especially food), lots of jobs lost, and not very many other jobs available. It’s a tough time for a lot of people here, so do your neighbor a favor and donate or help out however you can. Nobody wins when this many people are going hungry.

‍

How will you help others this holiday season?

‍

Let us know by connecting with us on Facebook and Instagram! Also, remember to share this newsletter with your friends & coworkers!

‍

BTW, If you’ve read this far and haven’t yet signed up for the weekly Paycheckology newsletter, CLICK HERE!

‍