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Apr 9, 2020 - Economy & Business

In photos: Food banks demand surges amid coronavirus crisis

Rebecca Falconer
People wait on line standing in squares six-feet apart at the Nourish Pierce County food bank

People wait on line standing in squares 6 feet apart at a food bank in Edgewood, Washington, April 4. Photo: Karen Ducey/Getty Images

There's been an upsurge in demand for food banks across the U.S. because of the impact of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Why it matters: Feeding America, the largest network of food banks in the U.S., projects a $1.4 billion shortfall over the next six months. "School closures, rising unemployment and rising poverty due to quarantine and stay-at-home orders will disproportionately impact people already at risk of hunger and could result in an estimated additional 17.1 million people experiencing food insecurity, an increase of 46%," the nonprofit said in a statement.

Jose Martinez waits in line next to his car to receive groceries provided by the food bank Feeding South Florida and distributed by the City of Sunrise on April 06
Long lines to receive groceries provided by Feeding South Florida, April 6. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Volunteers prepare to pack boxes of food to be distributed to those in need at the Capital Area Food Bank on April 1, 2020 in Washington, DC.
Volunteers distribute food in Harlem, New York, March 28. Demand for food pantries in the city has doubled, per WABC-TV. Photo: Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images
A member of the Ohio National Guard helps to pack food and supplies for those in need at the Mid Ohio Foodbank in Columbus.
The National Guard has been deployed to assist food banks in Washington state and Louisiana, and in cities across the U.S., including in Columbus, where a member of the Ohio National Guard helps out at the Mid Ohio Foodbank, March 31. Photo: Matthew Hatcher/Echoes Wire/Barcroft Media via Getty Images
Second Harvest volunteers work a pop-up food distribution line at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA
Second Harvest volunteers work a pop-up food distribution line at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, March 21. Photo: Mindy Schauer/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images
Volunteers prepare to pack boxes of food to be distributed to those in need at the Capital Area Food Bank in Washington, DC.
Volunteers prepare to pack boxes of food to be distributed to those in need at the Capital Area Food Bank in Washington, D.C., April 1. Photo: Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images
People wait to receive boxes of food assistance from the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida
The Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida in Orlando, which said it provided 2.5 million meals for people in the past two weeks, April 6. Photo: Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images
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