How Has COVID-19 Affected Food Insecurity
- Alan Hua
- Jul 15, 2021
- 2 min read
Starting in 2019, the Food Insecurity rate in the United States was at the lowest it had been in 20 years. At the time, the two main factors which influenced food insecurity were unemployment and poverty which were both at low rates heading into the Pandemic. In March of 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 as a global Pandemic, resulting in stay-at-home mandates, the closing of nonessential businesses, and the first economic recession since the Great Recession in 2007. Almost immediately, millions lost their jobs while other saw significant reductions in their work hours resulting in record high claims for unemployment insurance at 7 million. In April of 2020, the unemployment rate rose to 14.7%, the highest it had been since 1948. Feeding America’s report titled, “The Impact of the Coronavirus on Food Insecurity in 2020 & 2021,” says, “Before the start of the pandemic, the overall food insecurity rate had reached its lowest point since it began to be measured in the 1990s, but those improvements were being upended by the pandemic.”
As mentioned before, unemployment was one the most significant causes of increased rates of Food Insecurity during the Pandemic. Some other contributors include difficulty accessing public transportation which can make it difficult for families to obtain and purchase food for their families. Another issue created by the COVID-19 Pandemic was the closing of local food pantries, forcing families in need to find other means of acquiring food. Some Food Pantries, such as the Social Services Association in Ridgewood, New Jersey, worked around the closing of their food pantry by directly distributing pre-packed bags of food to those in need.
As we rebound from the COVID-19 Pandemic, it is more important than ever to get involved and help out your local community. Here you can find ways to set up a food drive, volunteer at a local food bank, and donate to organizations in the fight against Food Insecurity.
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