A new phenomenon brought by the “Corona” epidemic
International press.. the American people suffer from the problem of food security
Many Americans do not get what they need from fresh produce.
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An American girl holds a sign that reads "I'm hungry."
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A recent poll showed that many Americans still face food insecurity, and do not get the fresh produce they need, with lack of awareness of government assistance programs being the biggest obstacle.
Americans who have struggled to feed their families over the past year say they have had trouble figuring out how to get government aid and finding healthy foods that they can afford.
A survey organized by the Associated Press, the NORC Center for Public Research, and Impact Genome found that 23% of Americans say they haven't been able to get enough or the types of foods they want.
Most of those facing food challenges have participated in a government or non-profit food assistance program in the past year, but 58% of them still have difficulty accessing at least one service from this program.
And 21% of adults who have challenges meeting their nutritional needs say they couldn't get any help at all.
The most common challenge for those in need was a fundamental lack of awareness of their eligibility for government and non-profit services.
The survey results paint a bleak picture of a country where hundreds of thousands of families suddenly find themselves mired in food insecurity due to the economic turmoil of the COVID-19 pandemic.
These families often find themselves dealing with the intimidating bureaucracy of government assistance programs with their limited knowledge of local food banks or other charitable options available.
According to the survey, black and Hispanic Americans, Americans living below the federal poverty line and young adults are particularly likely to face nutritional challenges.
For housewife Acacia Barraza in Los Lunas, a rural town in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the challenge has been finding a steady supply of fresh fruits and vegetables within the family budget for her two-year-old son during lockdown.
Baraza quit her job as a waitress before the pandemic when she gave birth to her son.
She said she had considered returning to work, but the lack of childcare services with the spread of the pandemic made that impossible.
Baraza survives on the salary of her husband, who works as a mechanic, while receiving assistance from the government program through food stamps.
Despite government assistance, Barraza said she is still striving to find affordable sources of fresh vegetables, actively searching local markets for deals like a bag of fresh spinach for $2.99.
Even those who have not lost their income during the pandemic have to squeeze their food budget at the end of the month.
Tricia Mornes, who works in customer service for a company in Texas by phone, says she's been able to work from home without a break and earn plenty of money to qualify for the state food-stamp program, but not enough to easily feed the family.
She was forced to teach her children remotely due to fears of an outbreak of "Covid-19" in schools, and this caused them to be deprived of school lunches.
Her work responsibilities prevent her from getting free lunches provided by the school district.
She takes care of her disabled brother, who lives with them and already receives government food stamp benefits, but Mornes said $284 a month "is only enough for about a week and a half."
Radha Muthia, president of the Food Bank at Capital Area in Washington, said the suffering reflected in the survey is evidence of a new phenomenon brought on by the pandemic. Experience in liaising with government assistance programs.
“Everything became new to them,” she added.
Many individuals and families, especially those who are food insecure for the first time, are becoming unaware of the full range of options available to them.”
The survey results paint a bleak picture of a country where hundreds of thousands of families suddenly find themselves mired in food insecurity, due to the economic turmoil of the COVID-19 pandemic.
21% of adults who have challenges meeting their nutritional needs say they couldn't get any help at all.
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