COVID-19: Food Insecurity Millions of Hungry Americans Turn to Food Banks for 1st Time, The Associated Press, December 7, 2020
“Food banks and food pantries are doing great work,” says Luis Guardia, president of the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC). “But they simply cannot do enough to be something of the order of magnitude that we’re seeing right now.” For every meal from a food bank, a federal program called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, SNAP, provides nine. Lack of Grocery Stores in Some DC Wards Highlights Racial Wealth Inequity, Report Says, WTOP News, December 9, 2020
A severe lack of full-service grocery stores in Wards 7 and 8 is one of the contributing factors for food insecurity, according to Still Minding the Grocery Gap in D.C. report, which was released Wednesday by D.C. Hunger Solutions. The report found the disparity in access to healthy and affordable food has taken a toll on the health and well-being of residents, as well as the economy of the wards, while shining a light on racial wealth inequity in the District, according to a release. “The COVID-19 emergency has highlighted significant disparities among wards when it comes to grocery store access, health, and wealth,” said Beverley Wheeler, director of D.C. Hunger Solutions. Food banks do amazing work, but giving low-income Americans money to buy good would be more helpful, Bangor Daily News, December 8, 2020
This Bangor Daily News Editorial argues that for all its good work, Feeding America, its network of foodbanks, and the thousands of other food pantries throughout the U.S. are facing the herculean task of filling gaps in the country’s broken hunger prevention program. It would be far better to simply give those who are participating in SNAP enough money to buy the food they need from grocery stores, farmers’ markets and other local vendors. The food would get to the stores and markets through existing distribution channels and less food would be wasted as hungry Americans could buy what they typically eat. The money they spend would be circulated through the local economy, providing additional economic benefits to the community. Millions Turning to Food Banks, The News with Shepard Smith (CNBC), December 8, 2020
On average, 1 in 4 who say they don’t have enough to eat, earned more than $50,000 a year before the outbreak. That’s according to FRAC. Albertsons Companies Foundation Donates $14 Million to Organizations Fighting Hunger, Yahoo News, December 8, 2020
Albertsons Companies Foundation is awarding almost $14 million in grants from its Nourishing Neighbors community relief fund to local hunger-fighting organizations in areas their stores serve from coast to coast. Among the organizations awarded this grant is D.C. Hunger Solutions, which is convening a College Hunger Task Force to address college student food insecurity. This will include collecting data on post-pandemic student hunger and developing resources that are based on the Task Force’s findings. Also among the recipients is Maryland Hunger Solutions, which is expanding their remote SNAP outreach capacity in the state. Additionally, the Campaign to End Childhood Hunger in California was awarded the grant to implement improved policies to maximize the ability of Pandemic-EBT to feed low-income children and establish a Summer EBT program in California. COVID-19: SNAP Texas Food Banks May Be Less Equipped to Help Hungry Households in The New Year, The Texas Tribune, December 7, 2020
“If more people are connected to SNAP, it’s not only good for them in terms of health and well-being, but it would be good for the economy. Our message to this administration is please use all the tools in the toolbox,” said Ellen Vollinger, legal director of FRAC. Erin McAleer and Project Bread: Relentless in the Battle Against Food Insecurity, The Boston Globe, December 10, 2020
The increasing need for food assistance during COVID-19 in Massachusetts has led a local nonprofit, Project Bread, to work directly with community health centers in Boston to train staff in SNAP, so they can encourage patients to apply for benefits. Project Bread is planning to take that program statewide. Meanwhile, Project Bread helped get a bill quickly passed in the State House to make breakfast part of the school day, helping to feed to as many as 150,000 more students around the state. Americans Are Going Hungry, The Atlantic’s Social Distance Podcast, December 10, 2020
According FRAC President Luis Guardia, “SNAP is one of the most effective stimulus tools there is. We know that for every $1 in benefits spent, the economy grows by $1.50 to $1.80 [in an economic downturn].” Column: COVID-19 pandemic causes surge in food insecurity. Any relief bill should boost SNAP payments., The Chicago Tribune, December 11, 2020
“The purchasing power of SNAP isn’t adequate anymore, even if we went back to good economic times,” said Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach, an economist and director of Northwestern University’s Institute for Policy Research. “Usually people with higher incomes get lower levels of SNAP benefits, but even the maximum benefit is just too little.” On average, SNAP provides a little more than $4.50 per person per day. That’s why economists like Schanzenbach and groups focused on food insecurity are pushing a substantial SNAP benefits increase they believe would improve the health of struggling families. Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) No more paper coupons with eWIC, Moab Sun News, December 10, 2020
Families in the WIC program can now shop for healthy foods with more privacy and convenience after the Southeast Utah Health Department rolled out new eWIC cards, which function similarly to a debit card. Lower-income pregnant women, new or nursing mothers, and families with infants and children up to age five may be eligible for WIC. For decades, the program has helped struggling families eat well and stay healthy by providing coupons for specific nutritious foods and counseling on nutrition-related subjects, including breastfeeding. |
