According to a recent study published by Feeding America (FA), the country’s foremost domestic hunger relief provider, ever since 2006, there has been a 46 percent increase in the number of Americans who have been provided emergency food relief.

The FA report is based on an extensive study conducted by the nonpartisan research firm Mathematica Policy Research Inc., which generally carries out social policy research.

Noting that the economic downturn has been one of the main reasons for the substantial increase in the number of people requiring hunger relief assistance countrywide, FA said that its last report in 2006 showed that 4.5 million people were receiving weekly emergency food relief.

The number has now soared to over 5.7 million people, or 1 in every 50 Americans, receiving emergency food relief already in 2010; thereby marking a 27 percent increase in the number of people who need assistance from FA to make the basic necessities available for their families.

Mentioning factors like the 2007 financial crisis; the housing market plunge; and energy prices’ surge, parts of the report said: “From 2005 to 2009 there were notable changes in many factors that traditionally have been associated with food security and hunger. Concurrent with the economic downturn, participation in federal food and nutrition assistance programs increased, with some programs, such as SNAP - The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - reaching record levels.”