The following is true here in Talbot, one of the wealthiest counties in the nation:

• 11 percent of county residents are food insecure. (Feeding America)

• 15 percent of children are food insecure. (Feeding America)

• 14.5% of our children live below the poverty line. (Federal Reserve Economic Data)

• 6% of our seniors live below the poverty line (welfareinfo.org)

• 61% of TCPS students receive free or reduced school meals (TCPS)

• 12.6 % of Talbot County residents use SNAP (Talbot DSS)

• Despite a low unemployment rate of 3.3 percent, hunger remains deeply rooted among working families, seniors, and those on fixed incomes.

• Each week, nine food pantries and three meal providers across the county serve nearly 3,000 people, totaling food services of 12,000 a month and 144,000 a year.

• The cost of operating larger pantries can reach $8,000 to $10,000 monthly, straining budgets even as community fundraisers like Talbot County Empty Bowls, which raised $42,000 in February 2025, offer critical support.

• Behind these statistics are workers experiencing economic insecurity — people holding jobs with wages that still don’t cover basic living expenses.

  • A full-time worker earning Maryland’s $15 hourly minimum wage brings in about $31,000 a year.

  • That figure falls short of the $40,646 needed for a single person or the $92,262 required for a family of four to live in Talbot County, according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator.

From Healthy Talbot, Updated November 18, 2025

https://healthytalbot.org/about/talbot-county-hunger-coalition/