KCOY Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo - NewsTaking a Bite of the Hunger Epidemic in SLO County

Taking a Bite of the Hunger Epidemic in SLO County

SAN LUIS OBISPO -- A team of researchers from Cal Poly is working to take a bite out of the hunger epidemic that's facing San Luis Obispo County.

Cal Poly has received a very competitive grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and with the money, they're conducting research that's designed to keep people from going hungry.

It was an ambitious endeavor, but the team of researchers rose to the occasion.

From January to November of 2011, they interviewed about 800 people in the county to gauge their food security -- or insecurity.

"To do anything effectively as a community, you have to know the community and you have to do the research," said Carl Hansen, Executive Director of the Food Bank Coalition of San Luis Obispo County. "The wonderful thing about this survey is it provides really raw data from people who've lived with food insecurity every day of their lives."

Cal Poly's STRIDE center has teamed up with the food bank to create a Hunger Free Community plan.

The first step was research and the findings were released during a news conference on Friday.

The average age of the subjects is 48-years-old and more than half of them are women.

Of the 800 people surveyed, 60% are living in poverty.

"People who are food insecure want healthy food and that came out loud and clear in the survey -- if they could afford healthy food they would buy it," said Hansen.

The survey found that 84% of people living in poverty are food insecure -- or have trouble finding food.

As for the folks living about the poverty level, 63% are food insecure.

Food bank officials say the research will help them reshape some programs so people can better access them.

The project is being paid for by a $100,000 planning grant from the USDA.

Only 13 others were passed out nationwide.