COVID-19: Disparate Impact Coronavirus Relief Bill, KSWB, October 23, 2020
According to Food Research & Action Center President Luis Guardia, in July “26 to 29 million people reported not having enough to eat. This is disproportionately impacting women, communities of color and households with children.” With Trump Rule, Food-Insecure Immigrants Have Few Options, FERN, October 27, 2020
“Emergency food providers are being asked to do so many other things, like making sure people have somewhere safe to live, or developing contingency plans with immigrant parents, in case of arrest or deportation,” said Ellen Vollinger, legal director at the Food Research & Action Center. Older workers are struggling to find jobs amid the coronavirus pandemic, CNBC, October 30, 2020
Massive unemployment has impacted American workers of all ages, and those over 55 face challenges in reentering the workforce amid a recession. The average duration of unemployment for older workers is much longer than those experienced by younger groups. The number of long-term unemployed jobseekers, meaning those that’ve been out of work for more than 27 weeks and are still seeking jobs, jumped to 26.4 percent from 14 percent in September for those 55 and older, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Hunger and Social Misery Soar in Washington D.C. During the Pandemic, WSWS, October 27, 2020
According to a report published last month by FRAC, the number of people in the U.S. experiencing a persistent lack of food sometimes or often climbed above 29 million people in July. This number represents nearly 11 percent of the U.S. population. This is nearly quadruple the number of such people in 2018, when 8 million adults were in this category. When Parents Lose Their Jobs, Their Children Also Suffer. But Sometimes There’s a Consolation., The New York Times, October 31, 2020
A recent questionnaire from The New York Times that was distributed by Fresh EBT, a smartphone app that helps people manage their food stamp benefits, asked parents how the pandemic had affected their relationships with their children. Many simultaneously lamented the lost income but praised the increased family time. COVID-19: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Md. Lawmakers Urge USDA to Increase Statewide Access to COVID-19 Food Security Program, Maryland Matters, October 27, 2020
A report released by Maryland Hunger Solutions last week found a 400 percent increase in the number of Marylanders who applied for SNAP between March and April of this year. Applying for SNAP Can Be Way Too Hard. This Nonprofit Wants to Change That, SELF Magazine, October 29, 2020
“The Food Research & Action Center quotes that for every single meal that a food pantry provides, SNAP provides nine. Food pantries can’t meet the demand for people’s needs in this program, and SNAP can,” said Rose Afriyie, co-founder and executive director of the nonprofit mRelief. Reports: Maryland Food Insecurity Skyrockets During Pandemic, Maryland News Connection, October 29, 2020
“Having 844,000 people using SNAP in a state that has 6 million residents is a tremendous percentage,” said Michael J. Wilson, director of Maryland Hunger Solutions. “And it’s both because of historic inequities, historic poverty, and the pandemic on top of that.” SNAP emergency benefits extended, hot food waiver approved for November following sequence of storms, WBRZ, October 29, 2020
Louisiana SNAP recipients who do not receive the maximum amount for their household size will receive emergency allotments for November bringing them to the maximum allowed amount, The Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) announced Thursday, October 29. An issuance date for the benefits has not been announced, although November marks the ninth month in a row that emergency allotments have been issued in Louisiana due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Afterschool Meals Fewer NJ Kids Used After-School Meals Before Surge in Hunger, New Jersey Patch, October 29, 2020
According to a new report by the Food Resource & Action Center, more than 1.4 million U.S. children received supper through the federal Afterschool Nutrition Program in October 2019, a 6.5 percent increase from the previous year. COVID-19: Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Increasing WIC participation by improving access, Contemporary Pediatrics, October 29, 2020
“It is a cost-effective program that improves maternal and child health,” Lauren A. Wallace, DrPH, MPA, assistant professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of North Carolina Charlotte and lead author of a recent WIC study says. “However, WIC participation has been declining in recent years. If clinicians could screen for and encourage WIC enrollment, that could lead to healthier birth outcomes and better-nourished children.” COVID-19: School Meals Report: School Meals Programs in Maryland Aren’t Reaching Enough Eligible Kids, WTOP, October 28, 2020
“We know that, due to COVID-19, school systems are using delivery models that don’t compare to in-person learning models. We also know that COVID-19 has led to dramatically increasing childhood hunger in the state and across the country, causing schools to redouble their efforts now and when they reopen to reach more low-income children with school breakfast,” said Michael J. Wilson, director of Maryland Hunger Solutions. |
