Fox News Reports:
Food insecurity in the U.S. has not eased as the nation heads into the fall of 2022 in a post-pandemic world. Instead, it is even more of a problem now in America amid continuing inflation and high prices.
Feeding America’s CEO, Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, stated “Some of our food banks are in fact seeing higher rates, higher demand today than they did at the peak of COVID.”
Not only do the hungry in America need access to healthy foods — they want to maintain a sense of dignity and self-worth amid their difficulties, she said. She emphasized that the lines at food pantries are not “going away in New York — [and] they’re not going away across the country.”
That’s whether their food insecurity is short term or long term.
Today, due to inflation, charitable food organizations are seeing people on the lines they never saw earlier.
Leslie Gordon, CEO of Food Bank for New York City, one of the nation’s largest food banks, also told Fox News Digital on Friday, “The need [for help in gaining access to food] was really stubbornly high before the pandemic.”
While the perception may exist among the public that it’s mostly the homeless who seek help in finding adequate food, she said the reality is quite different.
Today, she said, there “are moms and dads, hardworking people who have two jobs and are trying to make ends meet” who are seeking help in meeting their food needs — “and New York City happens to be a fairly expensive environment in which to live.”
Said Gordon, “Let’s say you’re a single parent and you have two kids. You’ve got to make between $80,000 and $100,000 every year just to make ends meet. And there is a fair portion of the population who make considerably less than that,” she said.
There are senior citizens, she said, who every month must decide: “Do I go to the pharmacy this month and pick up my medication — or do I eat?”
She said people who are forced into making such dramatic and difficult choices often make poor food choices because they cannot afford to eat the healthier foods, which are usually more expensive.
In terms of those needing help, Gordon said that pre-pandemic, the groups saw a mix of people, including seniors on limited incomes and those with low-paying jobs.