The United States Department of Agriculture defines food insecurity as the availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods, or the ability to acquire such foods, is limited or uncertain for a household. Food insecurity also does not always mean that the household has nothing to eat. In simpler terms, it is the struggle to provide nutritional food for one's family and/or oneself. Not all people who experience food insecurity live below the poverty line. In 2012, 49.0 million people were considered food insecure in the United States, of these 46.5 million living in poverty (Hunger & Poverty Statistics, 2012). For some individuals, food insecurity is only a temporary situation, for others it can last for an extended period of time. Food insecurity due to a temporary situation such as unemployment, divorce, a serious medical problem or illness can extend into the longer term. The vast majority of them are families with children. The Faces of Food Insecurity Food insecurity does not discriminate; it affects many segments of society (Whitney, DeBruyne, Pinna and Rolfes, 2007). Although it is closely linked to poverty, not everyone experiencing food insecurity lives in poverty. It is often the working poor who are hit hardest. The working poor are a group who, despite being employed, have an income that is too low to meet their needs or those of their family. Most of the working poor (56%) live in families with children, so the poverty of these workers also affects many others (Problems Facing the Working Poor, Kim 1999). Many lower- and middle-class families will experience temporary food insecurity at different times of the year. For these families, government assistance may not be immediately available. Application for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance...... middle of paper ......alition for the homeless. (November 1, 2011). National Coalition for the Homeless. Accessed November 21, 2013, from http://www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/hunger.htmlNational School Lunch Program (NSLP). (nd). Food and nutrition service. Accessed November 4, 2013, from http://www.fns.usda.gov/nslp/national-school-lunch-programSupplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). (nd). Facts about SNAP. Retrieved October 28, 2013 from http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/facts-about-snap Whitney, E., DeBruyne, LK, Pinna, K., & Rolfes, SR (2007). Nutrition throughout life: childhood and adolescence. Nutrition for health and healthcare (3rd ed., pp. 301-329). Belmount: Thomson/Wadsworth. Woldow, D. (March 28, 2012). How do school lunch policies affect JoJo? . Beyondchron.org. Retrieved October 8, 2013 from http://www.beyondchron.org/news/index.php