Has Hunger Changed? A Five-Year Look at Hunger, Regionally

Earlier this year, we explored how families fare with food insecurity across Maryland, examining the intersection of hunger and geography through a financial lens and the United Way’s ALICE Report.

Now, the Maryland Food Bank’s Regional Program Directors (RPD)—experts who know their regions from closely collaborating with community partners to innovate solutions tailored to the needs of the neighbors that live, work, and study locally—tell you the story behind new research and reporting from our Strategy Team spotlighting the negatively trending statistics about the hardships Marylanders have had to face over the past five years.

Hardships and Health

As the state’s leading anti-hunger organization, it is our mission to balance the immediate issues that hunger presents to individuals, with the need to keep an eye on trends in the state overall, so we continue to be the resource our neighbors need us to be.

Using the most recent data available*, far too many Marylanders are finding it harder to make ends meet due to a nearly 20% increase in food costs, and wage challenges, where the cost of living increase in Maryland (3.1%) outpaces the average wage increase (2.7%).

Even neighbors using SNAP to help fill in the gaps are seeing the power of the program go down. The average SNAP benefits to individuals have gone down almost 18% while the average purchasing power of the program has weakened by nearly 27%!

While we know that people facing hunger tend to deal with more health challenges than their more food-secure neighbors, some of the social determinants of health trends are quite concerning. Marylanders are admitting to having more “mentally unhealthy days” each month (up from 3.5 in 2019 to 4.1 in 2023) and the average life expectancy has gone down by a half year—from 79.2 in 2019 to 78.6 in 2023!

The Regional Program Directors’ POV

Northern Region

In the Northern Region, RPD Christel Smallman sees the continued high cost of food (and other goods) as well as urban/rural transportation barriers as the main root cause issues facing neighbors living in Baltimore, Carroll, Cecil, and Harford counties.

“Continued high food prices are making it difficult for neighbors and partners alike to access high-quality, nutritious foods,” Christel said. “Add in the challenge of individuals and families having their SNAP benefits reduced, forcing them to stretch their budgets even further – and you can see why so many people are struggling in this part of Maryland, she continued.

Christel works closely with 194 community partners across the four counties, seeking to support partners in their efforts to improve offerings to neighbors. Through Regional Gatherings (where community partners talk shop) and other efforts, she’s been able to increase communication among sites, and work with them to make food distribution events more efficient.

“I’m really encouraged by the number of pantries adopting best practices in neighbor dignity and their willingness to try different things like the neighbor choice distribution model on-site and bringing food closer to where people live and work,” she shared.

Western Region

In the Western part of the state, severe weather conditions can make it difficult to deliver food to rural, mountainous areas (for both 18-wheelers and Mobile Markets alike) and a lack of living wage jobs are the biggest barriers to neighbors thriving in Garrett, Allegany, Washington, and Frederick counties, according to RPD Ruthie Pritchard.

“While things are changing, historically, there have been fewer companies, organizations, and businesses in this part of Maryland; and with fewer potential sources, it’s more challenging for pantries and other social service organizations to bring in more resources to help neighbors,” said Ruthie.

But armed with funding from kind supporters, Ruthie sees positivity rising like the Appalachian Mountains and sees great potential among the 96 community partners she works with.

“There are some really, really passionate people fighting hunger in Western Maryland, and I’m honored to be able to help them expand their services, and further their goals though community grants which have helped partners connect neighbors to home delivery, convenient food lockers, and other wraparound services,” she noted.

Eastern Region

While half of the region’s counties are among the least populated in the state, Eastern Maryland’s unique geography makes food security and food assistance difficult. Additionally, while the tourism and agriculture industries are robust, their pay is not. This creates additional challenges for Marylanders living in Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico, and Worcester counties, says MFB’s Eastern Region RPD, Dan Magan.

“Imagine trying to do simple things, like running errands, but islands and tributaries turn a five-mile trip to a grocery store into a 30-minute commute – that’s what neighbors down here face. Now, imagine navigating those issues while trying to provide food and wraparound services across eight counties,” said Dan.

MFB’s Salisbury location has experienced a number of positive changes over the past year, with new leadership, restructured program offerings, and software updates that are transforming the way that our warehouse operates and how community partners interact with it.

Through Regional Gatherings, one-on-one meetings and other interactions with 137 community partners, Dan sees a new trend emerging.

“Partners are moving into the right programs to help their communities, becoming more open to choice models that allow more dignity for those who visit, and expanding wrap-around services to help fight root causes of food insecurity instead of the mentality of just feeding people,” he stated.

Southern Region

While meeting with partners and getting acclimated to the area, Liz Lamb (the food bank’s newest Regional Program Director) confirmed that distance and transportation are the two single biggest barriers to food security for neighbors living in Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Howard, and St. Mary’s counties.

“In addition to the on-going root causes, pantries in Howard and Anne Arundel counties have to manage the influx of newly unemployed people who previously had been employed by the government, especially at a time when they had been trying to increase the amount of fresh food to the neighbors they were seeing already,” said Liz.

Also, the 97 community partners in the region are experiencing a spectrum of changes and new needs with Hispanic neighbors – some pantries are reporting an increase, while others are seeing fewer.

But Liz sees a brighter path forward.

“Partners in the Southern Region are deeply grateful for their volunteers and supporters and are becoming more and more open to collaboration than perhaps previously. I have heard a lot that people believe community will be our best chance to survive and I can see that spirit leading to more innovation,” she expressed.

Baltimore City

Neighbors face three critical issues across the city of Baltimore: available food that does not meet the nutritional, cultural, or logistical needs of the community; stigma and negative past experiences that deter some from seeking assistance; and a social service infrastructure where health and food security outcomes are deeply influenced by geography and race, with biases strongly influencing outcomes. This results in the stunning statistic that in Baltimore City, Black residents face food insecurity at a rate nearly three times that of white residents (30% vs. 11%).

With the largest concentration of neighbors in need and community partners (248) in the state, Baltimore City’s unique needs require the specialty and expertise of two Regional Program Directors: Sarah Kennedy, who works on the East side, while Kaylah Turner works in the Western areas of the city.

East Baltimore

“On the eastern side of Baltimore, families & individuals are faced with persistent, systemic challenges (like a lack of affordable and safe housing and inequitable access to affordable food sources) combine with today’s rising food costs, inflation, unaddressed trauma, community and gender-based violence,” said Sarah.

And even though current safety and security concerns make some neighbors hesitant to visit food pantries or seek assistance, Sarah is filled with optimism.

“Communities in East Baltimore are incredibly joyful, creative, resilient, and resourceful; and continue to find innovative paths to food justice that focus on the most marginalized, address systemic issues (housing, mental health, employment); while prioritizing dignity and sustainable, neighbor-centered experiences,” said Sarah Kennedy, Regional Program Director, East Baltimore, at the Maryland Food Bank.

West Baltimore

“I’ve been working in Baltimore for the past five years, and the post-pandemic cuts to SNAP benefits, combined with on-going historical and racial disparities are making it difficult for neighbors in West Baltimore to make ends meet, let alone plan ahead,” said Kaylah

And like her counterpart in East Baltimore, Kaylah is hopeful some opportunities will bring about better outcomes for neighbors.

“I am enthused by the presence of innovative partners and food pantries that are committed to upholding the dignity of neighbors – a growing ecosystem of organizations and stakeholders aligned with MFB’s mission, working collaboratively to address both hunger and its root causes, supported by local government efforts that increasingly prioritize the health and well-being of Baltimore City residents,” she added.

We believe that our geographic approach to hunger is the right one. It gives our six Regional Program Directors the ability to focus and collaborate with community partners to develop solutions that meet the specific needs of the neighbors that are living, working, and studying in different parts of the state. 

* 2019-2023