Apr 3, 2021 - Politics & Policy
Starvation in U.S. grows amid COVID-19 pandemic
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Food banks continue to give away far more canned, packaged and fresh provisions than they did before the pandemic forced many to scramble for food for the first time, AP reports in a "Hunger in America" series.
Details: Feeding America estimates that food banks will distribute around 6 billion meals in 2021, about the same amount as 2020 and more than the 4.2 billion given out in 2019.
- Food banks distributed approximately 42% more food during the last quarter of 2020 than in the same time the year prior, according to data from Feeding America obtained by AP.
What they're saying: "A lot of families who were living paycheck to paycheck before the pandemic were already experiencing food insecurity," Feeding America’s chief operating officer, Katie Fitzgerald, told AP.
- "Now, the level of insecurity for some has grown more extreme, when you see real hunger — mom skipping meals to feed the family," she added.
