INDIANAPOLIS — Food insecurity is widespread in Central Indiana, finds the 2020 Meal Gap Study released recently. The Meal Gap Study, commissioned by the Indy Hunger Network, reported 7% of Marion County households are missing meals in a given week; 60% of those miss five or more meals, an increase since 2017. The study is sponsored by the City of Indianapolis and the Indiana Minority Health Coalition.
The 2020 Meal Gap Study analyzes the current state of the food system and food insecurity in Marion County, directly measuring the quantity of meals needed to assure enough food assistance is available for all. The meal gap is the number of additional meals needed to realize a food-secure Marion County.
The study’s key findings reveal significant continuing challenges:
• The meal gap increased from 380,000 per month in February to 740,000 per month in June (attributed to impacts of COVID-19).
• African Americans are disproportionately impacted, with hunger 50% higher than the general population.
• 45% of food-insecure households have one or more children living in the home.
• The annual meal gap is a staggering 9 million meals.
The data was gathered through surveys conducted in February and June 2020.
The survey results indicate a large portion of the Marion County population needs food assistance, and the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the situation.