With millions out of work, the number of people in dire need of food assistance is increasing literally every day. Meanwhile, some food banks are already running out of food. Food insecurity is becoming an issue of unprecedented proportion.
Already before the coronavirus pandemic as many as 40 million people were either on the brink of food security or insecure already. According to USDA data for 2018 (the last period evaluated), this accounts for 11.1% of all households where family members are either at risk of poor nutrition or already eating less (and worse) than required to remain healthy.
The issue has risen to unseen scale as nearly 18 million Americans have filed for unemployment over the last 3 weeks. In some cases families have seen both parents being laid off at once, forcing them to seek help in any way they can. Especially that for many people schools and food pantries were the safest way to provide quality food to family members, both sources now sealed shut. This has resulted in some food banks seeing demand skyrocket within days.
