For the first time, data pertaining to food insecurity and hunger exists on a neighborhood and suburban level for the Chicagoland area. The numbers reveal stark contrasts between Chicago neighborhoods as well as suburbs. Citywide, a staggering 20.6 percent of the population suffers from food insecurity, which is defined as reduced quality, variety or desirability in a diet that leads to disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake.

The study by the Greater Chicago Food Depository (GCFD) is based on U.S. Department of Agriculture numbers released in the Food Insecurity in the United States 2009 data set.

Here's a look at map by the GCFD, showing the food insecurity rates in Cook County:

Numbers are better in suburban Cook County with a rate of 15.4 percent, meaning nearly 900,000 individuals in all of Cook County are uncertain about where their next meal will come from. Suburbs such as Ford Heights, Robbins, and Dixmoor have the highest rates at 55.5 percent, 45 percent, and 38.7 percent, respectively, of the 119 municipalities in Cook County.

With the city limits of Chicago, the Riverdale neighborhood maintained it's rate of 40.8 percent, with Washington Park and Englewood, both on the South Side, following closely behind. In Austin, a highly populous neighborhood, one in four people are food insecure, adding up to more than 25,000 individuals.

"We continue to see unacceptably high numbers of people who are food insecure in these difficult economic times," said Kate Maeher, CEO of the GCFD. Roughly 11 percent of Chicago is currently unemployed and there is a large number of city residents who are either working part-time or no longer seeking work. More than one third of all food insecure individuals live in a household earning more than 185 percent of the federal poverty level, meaning they do not qualify for assistance programs like SNAP or WIC.

GCFD will utilize the numbers as indicators for need as well as progress and to identify areas in need of action. Some localities are identified as “food deserts”, which leaves hungry people in the affected areas without many options. The depository is seeing near record levels of people using its network of 650 pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters. At the end of their most recent fiscal year, the depository distributed a record 69.2 million pounds of food, which is nearly a five percent increase from the previous year.

Addressing food insecurity with pantries feels more akin to a tourniquet rather than a solution; policy changes are needed, said Maeher.

Following a forum last year, the Greater Chicago Food Depository lead a collective action seeking in-class breakfast at all Chicago Public Elementary schools. This marks the first school year that elementary students will receive the morning meal, which will help provide relief to the vast number of children suffering from food insecurity.

Image: Greater Chicago Food Depository