Article By Angela Paige // EEW Magazine Online // Hunger In America

Millions of Americans are unemployed right now and are struggling to buy enough food for their families because of the coronavirus pandemic. 

A May health tracking poll by Kaiser Family Foundation of more than 1,100 US adults found that, since February, 26% of Americans say they or a member of their household have gone without meals or have needed to rely on charities or government programs to get groceries.

14% of adults say they’ve had to cut portion sizes or skip meals altogether because “there wasn’t enough money for food,” and 13% report needing to visit a food bank or pantry for supplies. 

“The number of people reporting that they’re experiencing food insecurity, which is when you don’t have reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable food, is extremely high,” said Diane Swonk, chief economist with Grant Thornton, in an interview with CNBC Make It.

“People don’t go to a food bank for no reason. They go to a food bank when they’ve run out of food,” said Swonk, a trained labor economist.

Food banks nationwide are squeezed between short supplies and surging demand from needy families amid the coronavirus pandemic, reports Reuters. Kids are also being forced to skip meals and are lacking appropriate nutrition at this time.

The growing food insecurity, a crisis within a crisis of sorts, is due to soaring unemployment and the delay in receiving unemployment benefits Swonk says. Research shows that some who have filed for unemployment have experienced wait times of a month or longer.

According to data provided by the Century Foundation, more than 40 million Americans submitted unemployment claims since states began to issue stay-at-home orders and shut down businesses. So far, less than 27 million claims have been processed.

“More people than ever are relying on charitable organizations to help them through this distressing time,” says Dianna Hobbs, Founder and CEO of Empowering Everyday Women, a Buffalo, NY based 501c3 nonprofit organization that has launched several campaigns to fight hunger and food insecurity.

“Every little bit we can do helps keep families from going hungry, and the need right now is greater than ever,” Hobbs says.

Power couple Ciara and Russell Wilson recently made a generous donation of one million meals to their local food bank, Seattle Food Lifeline, to feed Seattle’s needy families.

 “Obviously this coronavirus pandemic is changing the world second by second, minute by minute,” said Russell Wilson, quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks football team. “People are losing loved ones, the elderly and the young, and people in between. People are losing jobs. What we've decided to do is partner up with our local food bank in Seattle.”

R&B singer Ciara Wilson said, "We want to encourage everyone out there to join us in whatever way you can, big or small. Everything makes a difference. Everything we do together makes a difference.”