NEW YORK (August 12, 2021) — The COVID-19 pandemic has had vast impacts on food insecurity across the country. As government aid starts waning and the Delta variant continues to rage on, Noreen Springstead, executive director, WhyHunger, issued the following statement:
“During the first wave of the pandemic, skyrocketing food insecurity rates resulted – pushing the emergency food system to its brink, and in its wake, leaving 1 in 7 Americans unsure of where their next meals may come from. We have a fragile ecosystem surrounding food security that’s already in need of repair, and a pandemic that is exacerbating so many of the underlying issues–from social and racial injustice to lack of true living wages. As federal economic support dries up and the Delta variant sparks a third wave of the pandemic, we anticipate prolonged economic hardship on the horizon for many Americans.
While we continue to work towards long-term solutions to end hunger and ensure everyone’s basic human right to nutritious food, WhyHunger believes it is important that those who are struggling know there are places they can turn to for help.
The WhyHunger Hotline at 1-800-5-HUNGRY, our texting service (text your ZIP Code to 1-800-548-6479) and the Find Food database helps veterans, seniors, families and food insecure individuals find food in their neighborhoods as well as connect to government programs like SNAP year around and in times of crisis. While the Hotline and Find Food tools have already helped over a million Americans during the pandemic, it is our hope that this resource will continue bringing relief to those who need it most.”
About WhyHunger
Founded in 1975 by the late Harry Chapin and radio DJ Bill Ayres, WhyHunger believes a world without hunger is possible. We provide critical resources to support grassroots movements and fuel community solutions rooted in social, environmental, racial and economic justice. A four-star rated charity by Charity Navigator, with highest ratings for excellence in fiscal management accountability and transparency, WhyHunger is working to end hunger and advance the human right to nutritious food in the U.S. and around the world. 90 cents of every dollar raised goes directly to programmatic work. Learn more at whyhunger.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
