Food pantries hard pressed to meet the continuing need for "food insecure" Americans

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Tue, 2021-03-30 12:55 — mike kraft

In a suburban parking lot, a portrait of unyielding need at food giveaway A 55 percent spike in food insecurity caused by the coronavirus pandemic has food pantries straining under continuing demand. Antonio Olivo Washington Post

The flier announcing a monthly food giveaway in a leafy Northern Virginia parking lot said the 10 a.m. event would be first-come, first-served.

So, by 8:30 a.m. that Saturday, a line of cars had already formed — engines idling while drivers in masks eyed the groceries being set up that would get their families through at least another week.

“Let ’em through!” someone shouted just before 10 as more vehicles arrived at the lot in Reston.

And, with that, another gear turned in the nation’s straining apparatus to feed the hungry more than a year into the coronavirus pandemic.

At least 42 million people in the United States — a third of them children — now fall into the category of being “food insecure,” a 55 percent increase since the economic downturn spurred by the pandemic began, according to Feeding America, the nation’s largest network of food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters.

With restaurants, retail outlets and other industries slowly clawing their way back toward stability — many offering workers only part-time hours — charitable groups expect the extra demand to continue for several years.

Donations are drying up in some areas, forcing pantries to purchase food or travel longer distances to reach new donors, driving up costs, those groups say. Volunteers, who have been working in disaster mode for more than a year, are emotionally exhausted. And the pressures of the pandemic, with personal protective equipment, hand sanitizer and other safeguards also required in what is now a mostly drive-through service, has made the effort more complicated.

“It’s just a lot,” said Sandra Baron, 67, a volunteer with Cornerstones in Virginia who was directing traffic at the nonprofit’s giveaway in Reston in mid-March. “Who thought that when we were locked down last year we would be doing this still?” ...

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