Hunger in Northwest Pennsylvania is a reality.

Karen Seggi, executive director of Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwestern Pennsylvania, hopes to drive that point home with the results of the 2010 Hunger Study.

Second Harvest was one of the more than 200 food banks in the country to participate in the Hunger in America 2010 study, which was commissioned by Feeding America.

"I did not want to believe it," Seggi said of the results. "There was a 40 percent increase" in people receiving emergency food through Second Harvest.

Second Harvest serves 11 counties including Warren. Local agencies receiving food through Second Harvest are First Church of the Nazarene Food Pantry, Clarendon Mobile Food Pantry, Garland Mobile Food Pantry, St. Joseph Soup Kitchen, Sheffield Food Pantry, Miracle Mountain Ranch and Youngsville Ministerium Food Pantry at Evangelical United Methodist Church.

Speaking about the entire service area, Seggi said, "Last year alone, there were almost 24,000 new people at the food pantries alone."

An estimated 20,700 people receive emergency food assistance on any given week from a food pantry, soup kitchen or other agency served by Second Harvest. A review of income reveals that 69 percent of households have incomes below the federal poverty level, with the average income being $12,730. Many of the people served by Second Harvest report they are struggling with unemployment, difficult choices between food and other basic necessities and rising healthcare costs. According to Seggi, 34 percent of clients served report having to choose between buying food and paying for utilities or heating fuel; 27 percent said they had to choose between buying food and paying for rent or a mortgage; 29 percent report having to choose between buying food and paying for medical bills; and 21 percent must choose between buying food and paying for transportation.

"People are poor, that's pretty much it in a nutshell," she added.

In northwest Pennsylvania, 30 percent of all people served by Second Harvest are children.

"That statistic has not changed since the last report (in 2006)," Seggi said. "However, it does mean there are 21,780 children who rely on food from our warehouse."

According to Seggi, the numbers speak for themselves. The study serves as a illustration of the reality of hunger.

"This study is to educate people and help them understand that hunger does exist," she said. "We need volunteers to contact us and step up to the plate and help us distribute more food, especially in Warren County."

She added, "We're looking to do a mobile food pantries in Tidioute and Sugar Grove."