Risk Of Hunger Among Younger Baby Boomers Has Risen Significantly, AARP Says

A report from the charitable arm of the AARP says that almost nine million Americans aged 50 and over were at risk of hunger in 2009, a 79 percent increase from 2001. People aged 50 to 59 are the youngest of the Baby Boomer generation – they are too young for Social Security and too old for programs targeting families with children. In 2009, 4.9 million 50- to 59-year-olds were at risk of hunger, representing a “staggering” 38 percent increase over 2007, AARP says.  Between 2007 and 2009, the most dramatic increase in food insecurity was among those with annual incomes more than twice the poverty line. “The recession has taken an especially large toll on older people, particularly those in the middle class,” says AARP Foundation President Jo Ann Jenkins.