COEUR D’ALENE, ID - The federal Agriculture Department reports more Americans are going hungry because of the recession. Today, the agency released its annual “food security” survey. Correspondent Doug Nadvornick reports the state of Washington is following the national trend.

The Agriculture Department survey estimates almost 15 percent of all Americans had trouble getting enough food at some point last year. That’s up from 11 percent the year before.

The study doesn’t report year-to-year changes for individual states.

But Linda Stone from the Children’s Alliance in Spokane says she’s done more research and found Washington has a growing number of hungry people.

Stone: “Washington’s been sort of even for a few years, but, like the rest of the country, we are beginning to see increased hunger that’s definitely connected with the recent economic downturn.”

Stone is referring to changes in Washington during the last year.

But if you look at data over three years, Washington’s percentage of hungry people hardly changed. Idaho’s rate actually decreased about three percent. Oregon’s rate was up slightly.

Copyright 2009 Northwest News Network

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