By Catherine Van, KOLO-TV

Too many Nevadans are going hungry.

According to a study done by the U.S. Department of agriculture, Nevada is ranked No. 8 in the nation low food insecurity.

The percentage of households in Nevada that faced food insecurity jumped from 9 percent to 16 percent in 10 years, which is the largest increase in the nation. Local charities are even feeling the impact.

Food insecurity is a struggle that 3-year-old Maya and her mother, Trinity face every week. Trinity has a part-time job at a retail store, but with a child to raise on her own, bills start to add up and she’s worried she can’t feed her family.

“I would just like to be able to have her eat a good meal, a good three meals every day,” she said. “I’m worried she’s not getting enough of nutritional things.”

She spends about $40-$50 a week on groceries, but sometimes health falls on the wayside.

“It’s almost cheaper to like get stuff off the dollar menu.”

She’s one of more than 300,000 Nevadans dependent on food stamps or Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Programs.

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