As the world enters the third year since the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic, millions of Americans continue to grapple with impacts caused by the pandemic, including food insecurity.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) office reported recently that more than 29 million adults and 12 million children in the nation struggle to afford food. Minorities are food insecure at a rate of 1 in 5 for Black and Latino people, according to the report. To provide relief to food insecure families, President Joseph Biden's administration has moved to provide millions of dollars to expand government food programs, the USDA states.
"In swift response, the Biden-Harris Administration deployed emergency resources approved by Congress through the Families First Coronavirus Response Act," Cindy Long, FNS administrator, wrote in the Jan. 21 statement on the department's website.
"At the same time, USDA continues to provide millions of Americans with access to healthy food thanks to the $12 billion investment Congress provided through the American Rescue Plan. Through these resources, we've been able to increase SNAP benefits and close meal gaps for children."
The federal Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transer (P-EBT) program expanded benefits and assistance to families affected by pandemic-related school and childcare closures, the USDA reports, by providing food dollars equivalent to the value of the meals missed because of the closures. P-EBT benefits were also increased by 15% per day, the agency reports.
Some states have also stepped in to contribute to the federal benefits that help the food insecure, the DOA reports.
For instance, a "farm to P-EBT" program in West Virginia allows participants to double or even triple their benefits if they shop at farmers markets, roadside stands, mobile markets and select stores: Families get a one-to-one match on SNAP-qualifying purchases using P-EBT, and a one-to-two match if they bring their children on the shopping trip, the DOA reports.
"Thanks to P-EBT, pandemic-strained Americans have one less thing to worry about when putting meals on their table," Long wrote in the announcement. "The continuation of P-EBT in 2021 provided food security to millions of Americans and today, FNS is working with states to continue the effort through 2022."
