Almost four in 10 black and Hispanic households with children are struggling to feed their families during the pandemic, according to research from economists at Northwestern University based on Census Bureau data, reports Politico. The number of families that are food insecure across all demographics has increased, but black and Hispanic households are twice as likely to struggle with food than white families.
Economists are particularly concerned that these figures are so high even after hundreds of billions of dollars have been spent by the government on additional unemployment insurance and other aid. “This is uncharted territory,” said Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach, an economist and director of the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University. “We’ve never seen food insecurity rates double, or nearly triple—and the persistent race gaps are just appalling.”
Experts are also concerned about how long it will take these rates to fall again. “The disparities are long-standing, but what COVID has uncovered is that disparities can widen rapidly,” said Sara Bleich, a policy professor at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. “And like we saw in the Great Recession, it takes much longer for lower-income, harder-hit communities to recover.” Full Story
Related: USHG Reopens Restaurants to Feed Food Insecure; Retailers, Local Food Banks Support Communities.
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