Your Support Empowers Women Experiencing Hunger

March is Women’s History Month – a time to honor and celebrate women’s achievements and contributions to American History. We honor women in our community who provide meals to women and families impacted by the gender hunger gap. March 12 is Equal Pay Day, and we encourage you to learn more about the issues facing women and their children. 

Women, especially single mothers, are more likely to face food insecurity than their single male, cohabitating, and married counterparts. According to the USDA’s most recent data on food insecurity, 12.8% of U.S. households experienced food insecurity in 2022. Single women with children accounted for 24.3% of these households, while women living alone accounted for 13.2%. These numbers are higher for women of color.  

At the root of these statistics is the gender wage gap. In the U.S., women who work full-time, year-round, earn 84 cents on the dollar compared to men. When part-time workers are added to the statistics, women earn 78 cents on the dollar. More than two-thirds of single mothers work full-time and earn $17,000 less than their male counterparts each year. Yet, they are the breadwinners for 80% of single-parent households. 

Women also assume more of the caregiver responsibilities than their male counterparts, not just for children but also for parents and other family members. In addition to the gendered wage gap, women can also experience additional economic hardship: 

• The pink tax refers to the up to $18,000 the average woman will spend on feminine hygiene products during her lifetime.*
• While government-funded programs provide some support for childcare costs, essentials such as diapers and wipes are not covered. This does not include the 11% increase in the cost of baby food in 2022.
• Women’s healthcare costs also outpace those of their male counterparts. Women ages 18-44 spend close to 48% more on healthcare than men.*

Women Filling the Need in Central & Eastern North Carolina 

Hunger impacts more than 600,000 households in our region, including 1 in 5 children. Across our 34-county service area, women leaders and their communities are sharing food from their farms and offering meals to families.  

Dawn Ellis is the founder and executive director of Share the Table, which provides meals to individuals and families facing hunger. The organization’s Meals Until No Child Hungers (MUNCH) program supplies food to students in the Topsail Beach area. 

I think it’s important to show and be an example of what it means to be a leader in the community. My work is less about providing assistance but more about encouraging and empowering our community.

– Dawn Ellis, Founder & Executive Director of Share the Table

Rev. Barbara Hubbard, Associate Pastor at St. Julia AME Zion Church, recognized that some of her congregants needed food assistance. She began delivering food to 20-25 households each week. As the needs in her community grew, Hubbard expanded her distribution to households across Onslow County with the help of more than 20 volunteers and a partnership with the Food Bank. 

For me, it’s a special calling that gives me opportunities to minister to my community inside and outside of the church’s four walls. I don’t take this for granted.

– Rev. Barbara Hubbard, St. Julia AME Zion Church

Addressing Food Insecurity 

To solve food insecurity and its overwhelming impact on women and children, we must understand the policies and practices, including gender inequality and the gender wage gap, that contribute to hunger and poverty.  

March 12 is Equal Pay Day, and we encourage you to learn more about the issues facing women and their children. 

• Why women are especially vulnerable to facing food insecurity
• Equal Pay Day
• Gender Economic Inequality 

Want to take the next step to provide needed food to women in our area so they can begin to rise out of food insecurity? Thanks to our generous partners, monetary donations are being matched this month. That means making a donation today can double the support we can give to hunger relief efforts from women like Dawn Ellis and Rev. Barbara Hubbard.