PASSAIC COUNTY HUNGER-FREE COMMUNITIES REPORT Table of Contents Letter from United Way of Passaic County ............................................................................4 Acknowledgement...................................................................................................................... 5 Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................6 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 8 Methodologies ...........................................................................................................................10 Part One: Food Insecurity by Location ............................................................................... 12 Section A: Passaic County as a Whole ............................................................................ 13 General Description ...................................................................................................... 13 Area General Statistics................................................................................................... 14 Who is Experiencing Food Insecurity?.......................................................................... 14 How Severe is Food Insecurity? ....................................................................................16 What Factors Impact Food Security?............................................................................. 16 Section B: Up-County ........................................................................................................19 Up-County General Description .................................................................................... 19 Up-County General Statistics .......................................................................................19 Who is Experiencing Food Insecurity Up-County? .......................................................20 How Severe is Food Insecurity Up-County? .................................................................21 What Factors Impact Food Security? .............................................................................22 Section C: Down-County....................................................................................................26 Down-County General Description .............................................................................. 26 Down-County General Statistics.....................................................................................26 Who is Experiencing Food Insecurity Down-County? ..................................................27 How Severe is Food Insecurity Down-County? ............................................................ 28 What Factors Impact Food Security? .............................................................................28 Part Two: Food Insecurity by Ethnicity ............................................................................... 32 Section A. Ethnic Minorities: African- Americans.........................................................33 Group Characteristics......................................................................................................33 Severity of Food Insecurity for African-Americans ...................................................... 33 Primary Issues of Food Security for African- Americans ............................................. 33 -1- PASSAIC COUNTY HUNGER-FREE COMMUNITIES REPORT Section B. Ethnic Minorities: Hispanics/Latinos .......................................................... 36 Group Characteristics..................................................................................................... 36 Severity of Food Insecurity for Hispanics/Latinos .........................................................36 Primary Issues of Food Security for Hispanics/Latinos ................................................ 36 Section C. Ethnic Minorities: Native Americans ............................................................39 Group Characteristics..................................................................................................... 39 Severity of Food Insecurity for Native Americans .........................................................39 Primary Issues of Food Security for Native Americans ................................................ 40 Part Three: Food Insecurity by Other At-Risk Group ....................................................... 42 Section A. Other Risk Factors: Unemployment and Underemployed Individuals.......43 Group Characteristics.................................................................................................... 43 Severity of Food Insecurity for Unemployment and Underemployed Individuals.........43 Primary Issues of Food Security for Unemployment and Underemployed Individuals.43 Section B. Other Risk Factors: Disabled Individuals .....................................................46 Group Characteristics......................................................................................................46 Severity of Food Insecurity for Disabled Individuals ................................................... 46 Primary Issues of Food Security for Disabled Individuals ............................................ 46 Section C. Other Risk Factors: Recent Immigrants....................................................... 48 Group Characteristics .....................................................................................................48 Severity of Food Insecurity for Recent Immigrants ...................................................... 48 Primary Issues of Food Security for Recent Immigrants .............................................. 48 Section D. Other Risk Factors: Single Parents ............................................................... 50 Group Characteristics .................................................................................................... 50 Severity of Food Insecurity for Single Parents ..............................................................50 Primary Issues of Food Security for Single Parents ...................................................... 50 Section E. Other Risk Factors: Adults Living Alone...................................................... 53 Group Characteristics..................................................................................................... 53 Severity of Food Insecurity for Adults Living Alone ................................................... 53 Primary Issues of Food Security for Adults Living Alone ............................................53 -2- PASSAIC COUNTY HUNGER-FREE COMMUNITIES REPORT Section F. Other Risk Factors: Elderly Individuals ...................................................... 55 Group Characteristics .................................................................................................... 55 Severity of Food Insecurity for Elderly Individuals ...................................................... 55 Primary Issues of Food Security for Elderly Individuals .............................................. 55 Section G. Other Risk Factors: Special Report on Islamic Center ...............................58 Group Characteristics .................................................................................................... 58 Severity of Food Insecurity for Islamic Center ..............................................................58 Primary Issues of Food Security for Islamic Center...................................................... 59 Part Four: City Municipal Snapshots.....................................................................................61 Section A. City of Passaic ................................................................................................. 62 City of Passaic General Description .............................................................................. 62 City of Passaic General Statistics ...................................................................................62 Who is Experiencing Food Insecurity in the City of Passaic? .......................................62 How Severe is Food Insecurity in the City of Passaic? .................................................63 What Factors Impact Food Security in the City of Passaic? ..........................................64 Section B. City of Paterson................................................................................................ 66 Paterson General Description ........................................................................................ 66 Paterson General Statistics............................................................................................. 66 Who is Experiencing Food Insecurity in Paterson? .......................................................66 How Severe is Food Insecurity in Paterson? .................................................................67 What Factors Impact Food Security in Paterson? ..........................................................68 Part Five: Food for Thought....................................................................................................70 Part Six: Appendices.................................................................................................................74 Data Maps -3- PASSAIC COUNTY HUNGER-FREE COMMUNITIES REPORT February 29, 2012 Dear Friends, We are excited to share Where’s the Food? An Introduction