COVID-19 has Created a Hunger Epidemic, as Millions More New Yorkers Face Food Insecurity
It’s no secret that the coronavirus has created an economic crisis in our nation alongside the health crisis. New York state, hit especially hard in the early days of the virus, is no exception. In fact as of July, more than 1.5 million New Yorkers were out of work – one of the worst unemployment crises in the state’s history.
This poses a very real threat to the progress we’ve made over the past decade to end childhood hunger in our state, as lost jobs and wages are making it more difficult for many families to pay bills and put food on the table.
The US Department of Agriculture’s annual food security report, out this week, is a stark reminder of just how quickly food insecurity has skyrocketed as a result of COVID-19. According to the USDA, in 2019, 5.3 million children were food insecure, the lowest number on record since the agency began tracking these statistics in 1998 and nearly half the number from the height of the great recession in 2008. Today, it’s a much different story. According to recent estimates, anywhere from 9-17 million children are not getting enough to eat. And the impact on children in Black and Hispanic families are much more severe.
Yesterday, No Kid Hungry New York Director Rachel Sabella spoke to how this devastating trend is playing out in New York, testifying at the New York State Assembly’s hearing on the Impact of Covid-19 on Food Insecurity in New York State:
“For many of our state’s children and families, the pandemic and its economic consequences has had a disastrous impact on food security. Before the pandemic, 1 in 7 children in the United States faced food insecurity, and with record jobs and wages lost, we estimate this number is now much higher. In fact, we fear a decade of progress may have been eliminated in a few short months. 1 in 4 children in the United States could face hunger this year because of the coronavirus. And in New York State, where the number was 1 in 6 children, we expect the impact could be worse.”
The fact that such progress has been reversed is devastating to millions of families and children across New York. But unlike COVID-19, we know what works to solve childhood hunger.
“Among the critical challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, food insecurity is one of the most widespread and solvable. As millions of students face uncertainty about school operation and families continue to struggle financially, the indispensable role the federal child nutrition programs play in the lives of Americans has never been more evident.”
From Lake Erie to New York City, from Albany to the Southern Tier – and everywhere in between – schools and community organizations have stepped up to make sure kids continue to get the meals they rely on during this crisis, and No Kid Hungry New York is proud to have been able to provide more than $1 million in grant funding to support them.
Child nutrition programs like school meals, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Pandemic EBT work together effectively and efficiently to make sure hungry kids get the nutrition they need. But the reality is, without action at the state and federal level these programs can’t reach all of the kids who need them.
“New York State is facing a time of unprecedented challenges and devastating loss. In order to rebuild stronger and help struggling New Yorkers, it is essential that we ALL come together to help the State rise again. No Kid Hungry New York stands at the ready to work with the Legislature, Governor Cuomo and our fellow New Yorkers to ensure all children and families have access to the food they need to thrive.”
Without action to strengthen and expand access to critical nutrition programs and our state’s emergency food network, the hunger epidemic we’re currently experiencing will continue to become more dire for many kids. If this trend continues, the consequences will be felt for years to come. We cannot let this crisis continue to erode more than a decade worth of progress in the fight against hunger in our state.
Click here to read Rachel Sabella’s full testimony on September 9th before the New York State Assembly’s hearing on the Impact of Covid-19 on Food Insecurity in New York State.