A national poll has found that approximately 25 percent of Springfield households with children report a hardship in affording food. The report by the Food Research and Action Center, based in Washington, D.C., ranks the Springfield metropolitan area as having the 37th highest “food hardship” rate among the 100 largest metropolitan statistical areas in the country. The rankings are based on data gathered in 2009 and 2010 as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index project, the center reported. “The food hardship rates in Springfield for households with or without children are unconscionable,” said Andrew Morehouse, executive director of The Food...