In 2002, the number of households headed up by a single female that visited Sevier County Food Ministries more than doubled over the previous year, according to statistics provided by the local food ministry.
The number of households headed up by a single male nearly tripled, and the need for assistance to help these families survive is only partially met by supplemental food, said SCFM director Steven Streibig.
The fact that single male households tripled sounds like that category saw the greatest increase, but the figure for single male households was initially smaller, statistics showed.
The number of single female households that visited SCFM last year was 1,044, up 54 percent over the previous year’s figure of 485. The number of single male households with dependents went from 115 in 2001 to 300 in 2002, a 62 percent increase.
Although the number of households headed up by a single male that visited SCFM are on the rise, it’s the single female households that continue to make up a big portion of all the families seen at SCFM.
“We had 1044 single female households with dependents visit us in 2002,” Streibig said. “This represents 31 percent of all the families seen.”
Streibig said that those single women have an average age of 39.5 years and 371, or 39 percent of them were under age 35.
Most of the women work hard at caring for their families, but typically at lower-paying jobs.
“Their average total regular income (wages, other income, and child support) averaged $815.45 per month,” Streibig said.
When one considers that the average rent for even a one-bedroom apartment in Sevier County is $400, it’s easy to see the plight of a single parent in trying to work, pay child care fees if needed, and meet other expenses besides food.
For them, supplemental food offered by Sevier County Food Ministries can make all the difference in balancing the family budget.
Single female households visiting SCFM in 2002 showed an average of income from government assistance (including food stamps) was $546.72 per month, according to SCFM statistics.
“It is interesting to note that while single female households represent 31 percent of all the families we see at SCFM, they support 33 percent of all the children under 17 and 48 percent of all dependents over age 60 fed by SCFM in 2002,” Streibig said.
In other words, these women are not only taking care of their children, but are also often responsible for caring for their own parent or parents as well.
Overall, the number of families visiting SCFM at least once rose from 3,172 in 2001 to 3,294 in 2002, an increase of 122 families.
Nearly 18 percent of all families visiting SCFM relied on the ministry for supplemental food for half the year or more, Streibig said.
“It’s obvious that there are still too many families in our community who face chronic, long-term conditions of poverty,” Streibig said.

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