RI Food Bank reports dramatic increase in food
insecurity
By
Steve Ahlquist
The Rhode
Island Food Bank released their 2020 Status Report on Hunger in Rhode Island ,
and it contains dire, but not unexpected data.
“It’s shocking, but one in four
households lack adequate food,” said Andrew Schiff ,
CEO of the Rhode Island Food Bank. “The rate of food insecurity was even higher
– one in three for Black and Latinx households. They are also the ones
suffering the most from coronavirus disease. Black Rhode Islanders and Latinx
Rhode Islanders are over represented among Covid cases and hospitalizations.”
Among
the reports findings:
One
in four households in Rhode Island lacks adequate food.
Underlying
medical conditions that increase the risk of severe illness from COVID-19 are
prevalent among food insecure Rhode Islanders.
Demand
for food assistance at member agencies of the Food Bank grew by 26 percent in
the wake of the pandemic.
Government
aid is critical to protecting vulnerable families from hunger.
“Before March we were serving about
53,000 people every month through our statewide network of member agencies,”
said CEO Schiff. “We thought that was too many. Since March, we’ve been serving
68,000 people every month.”
“I
support a 15% increase in SNAP benefits in the next relief package,” said
US Senator Jack Reed (D-RI). “That would amount to about $25 per person per month or just
under $100 in food assistance per month for a family of four – not enough by
itself, but an important part of a comprehensive response.”
Reed lamented that
the Republican led Senate has prevented any meaningful new action on either the
pandemic or the economic crisis.
The
report outlined four action steps the public can take to help:
Urge
Rhode Island’s Congressional Delegation to pass another COVID-19 relief bill
that brings back supplemental unemployment compensation and boosts SNAP
benefits through this economic downturn.
Petition
the USDA to provide P-EBT to all children from low-income
families when schools are closed for summer vacation.
Advocate
for the Department of Human Services to
implement a comprehensive SNAP outreach program to help newly unemployed Rhode
Islanders enroll.
Contact
state legislators and tell them to support the Governor’s call for increased
funding for the Food Bank.
Steve Ahlquist is a frontline
reporter in Rhode Island. He has covered human rights, social justice, progressive
politics and environmental news for nearly a decade. atomicsteve@gmail.com
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