Durango is not the only community that is struggling to feed its poor. The number of Coloradoans who go hungry or struggle to get enough to eat has increased by close to 3 percent over the last three years. The increase is one of the sharpest jumps in the country, according to a recent federal report.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture examined “household food security” throughout the United States. The report found that 89 percent of American households were “food secure” throughout the entire year of

2005, meaning that they had access, at all times, to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members.

Although food security improved nationwide between 2003 and 2005, it declined in Colorado. The USDA found that 2.8 percent more Coloradoans went hungry in 2005 than the years before. The study also found that 479,000 people go hungry in Colorado each year. Only Maine and South Carolina posted bigger drops in food security.

– Will Sands