COVID-19 and Food Insecurity

The United States has the largest economy in the world with a total gross domestic product ($18.71 trillion) which far outpaces China ($11.14 trillion). Abundant natural resources and highly mechanized agriculture has enabled the United States to become one of the top producers of food in the world, including corn (#1), beef (#1), chicken (#1), wheat (#3), potatoes (#5) and a significant percentage of many fruits and vegetables. However, despite great wealth and bounty, food insecurity impacts millions of Americans and has significantly worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chronic food insecurity in the United States

Hunger is a chronic issue in the United States and worse here than in many other industrialized nations. 21% of U.S. respondents to a 2011/2012 Gallup poll reported difficulty affording basic food, in comparison with participants from the United Kingdom (8%), Sweden (6%) and Germany (5%). The percentage of U.S. households experiencing food insecurity has hovered at or above 10% for the last decade, with 10.7% or 13.7 million households reporting food insecurity in 2019. Food insecurity is not equitably distributed in the U.S. population, as households with children are 1.5 times as likely as those without children to experience food insecurity, and Black, Latinx, single parents and low-income households are disproportionately impacted.

COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has directly contributed to rising food insecurity in several ways. Over 14 million Americans became unemployed between February and May 2020, and although the economy has shown signs of recovery, the unemployment rate is still nearly double pre-pandemic levels (3.5% (February 2020) vs. 6.9% (October 2020)). Many unemployed who were buoyed by early stimulus payments/unemployment benefits have exhausted their savings in recent months and are unable to afford food. Feeding America, the largest food bank non-profit in the United States, reported 4 in 10 of those visiting food banks since March were receiving assistance for the first time. Food banks and other social service non-profits are heavily reliant on private donations and volunteers, many of whom are elderly and most at-risk from COVID-19, have experienced significant declines in volunteerism, donations and fund-raising activities. School closures have reduced or eliminated access to free breakfast, lunch and take-home meals for many children from low-income families. A survey by the School Nutrition Association found 80% of respondents representing nearly 2,000 districts were providing less meals than before the pandemic.

Ways to give

Food insecurity is an issue which will almost certainly worsen in the short-term as the United States continues to report over 150,000 cases and 1,000 deaths per day, anticipated surges from Thanksgiving/Christmas travel and gatherings and with widespread vaccination not likely before spring 2021. If you are able – below are two very well-regarded non-profit organizations offering direct food assistance and other services and accept donations/volunteers:

·       Feeding America (Nationwide)

·       Northwest Harvest (Washington State)