The U.S. Department of Agriculture says 14.5% of U.S. households don’t have enough food (food insecure).  That’s based on data for 2010, the number is little changed from 2009.

Of the 17.2 million households without enough food, about half (59%) get help from government programs.

There are 6.4 million households experiencing ‘very low food security’.  Very low food security means: “…food intake of some household members was reduced and normal eating patterns were disrupted due to limited resources.”-USDA, report summary