Food pantries around the United States are struggling to meet increased demand as millions of people suffer from the pandemic's economic toll, AP reports.
Why it matters: The more than 22 million Americans out of work as a result of the coronavirus has led to skyrocketing demand for donated food, but many of the food banks’ sources are drying up.
- Some food bank leaders believe the money that Congress included for emergency food assistance in its March relief bill will take months to reach cities.
The big picture: Feeding America, a nationwide association of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries, has witnessed a 98% surge in demand.
- San Francisco-Marin Food Bank in California built “pop-up” pantries after some of its previous 275 locations stopped operating during the crisis. A spokesperson told AP that the new sites are serving hundreds of people every day.
- A spokesperson for the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma said that the bank, which acts as a food distribution center for hundreds of member pantries, moved to a six-day workweek this month and may consider seven days a week to meet demand.
What they're saying: “It is a perfect storm scenario,” Katie Fitzgerald, chief operating officer for Feeding America, told AP.
- “The food’s coming in the back door, and it’s going right out the front to the customers,” said Courtney Vrablik, executive director of The Store, a Nashville supermarket that provides free food to those in need.
Go deeper: Coronavirus supply chain issues cause tons of wasted food
