The current hunger crisis in the US, in photos

Food banks across the country have seen a staggering uptick in need since the onset of the pandemic.By Li Zhou and Kainaz Amaria  May 9, 2020, 8:50am EDT

Among the pandemic’s many dire effects: It’s making food insecurity in the US much worse.

In the past month, America’s food banks have been completely overwhelmed by demand. In cities like Pittsburgh, San Antonio, and Phoenix, residents have lined up for hours as food banks attempt to address a massive influx of need. Some organizations have been forced to turn people away while others are struggling to maintain the supplies necessary to keep up.

Images of the lines at food pickup points underscore how devastating the economic fallout from the pandemic has been. These photos make visible a long-standing issue: In one of the richest countries on earth, millions still go hungry each day.

According to a 2014 Washington Post report, roughly 46 million people depended on food banks and meal service programs on an annual basis prior to the coronavirus pandemic. And in 2019, about 38 million people used the US Department of Agriculture’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

“Our city struggled before Covid — many … families [are] living on the edge — and Covid knocked them over the edge,” says San Antonio Food Bank President Eric Cooper.

The spike US food banks are experiencing now is unrivaled in modern history, the images of thousands queued up to receive basic necessities throw the effects of the recent economic downturn into sharp relief.

More than 30 million people have filed for unemployment insurance benefits in recent weeks. As families scramble to cover rent, mortgage payments, and health care costs amid job losses, their funds for necessities, including food, have run short. And while SNAP helps provide food aid, the amount of funding it includes for families often isn’t enough — even when the economy is in great shape…..more here

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