A new study by Feeding America found that one in seven people in the United States depend on local aid programs to feed their families, but that number is much higher in Arizona.
According to the study, more than 46 million Americans depend on programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Jerry Brown of St. Mary’s Food Bank said this number is an improvement for the U.S., but the number of Arizonans going hungry has remained at the same level since the recession of 2008.
"Our numbers of one in five Arizonans who are affected by hunger on a daily basis and one in four children — actually more than one in four children — almost one in three children being affected by hunger," Brown said. "So if there’s some improvement coming in Arizona, it still hasn’t reached here yet.”
The study also found that people receiving help from food programs often skipped out on paying bills in order to buy food.