PHOENIX, AZ – More Americans, including residents in and near Phoenix, are starving as the coronavirus pandemic hits its 13 month mark. According to data compiled by the Associated Press, food banks across the country have been distributing more food every quarter since the pandemic began. At St. Mary’s Food Bank in Phoenix, the data shows a post-pandemic average of 30.1 million pounds of food distributed per quarter, compared to the pre-pandemic average of 25.3 million pounds per quarter corresponds to an increase of around 19 percent. In the second quarter of 2020, when the effects of the pandemic were first recorded, more than £ 28.2 million was distributed, compared to £ 24.4 million in the second quarter of 2019. Meanwhile, Mesa’s United Food Bank data shows an average ahead of Pandemic of £ 5.8 million distributed each quarter, rising to £ 7.2 million per quarter once the pandemic breaks out – an increase of 24 percent. Almost £ 6.8 million were distributed in the second quarter of 2020 compared to 6.3 million in the second quarter of 2019. Nationally, food distribution increased 48 in the two quarters after the pandemic started compared to the four quarters before the pandemic, 6 percent. according to an AP analysis of 181 food banks within the Feeding America network. Almost all boards reported higher distribution numbers during the pandemic, with only a handful scattered across the country actually reporting a decrease in distribution. However, the AP noted that food distribution data can be “extremely volatile” from quarter to quarter due to holiday schedules, donation trends, and local economic problems. Feeding America is the largest food distribution organization in the United States, but the 181 food banks included in this data set comprise only “a small fraction” of the nationwide number of organizations serving people who suffer from food insecurity. Still, food insecurity has become a heightened concern for millions of Americans as the pandemic continues. For those in financial trouble, it means that food is at the bottom of their list of priorities. “This is the fourth week without a paycheck,” Adriana Rosas told Feeding America in 2020 as she picked up groceries for her family at a distribution facility in New Braunfels, Texas. “I was strategic on my last one and stretched it as far as possible,” said Rosas. “After paying rent and electricity, I can think of groceries – it’s crazy to say groceries come last.” Comparing the numbers from year to year, boards in the Feeding America system distributed 56.5 percent more food in the third quarter of 2020 than in the same period in 2019. Similar trends were reported for boards in major cities and towns across the country. At the City Harvest Food Bank in New York City, one of America’s largest, the average amount paid out before the pandemic through the end of 2020 rose from around £ 17.1 million per quarter to around £ 52.3 million. At the Catholic charity’s food bank in much smaller Terre Haute, Indiana, distribution rose from an average of around £ 973,000 per quarter in 2019 to around £ 2.2 million by the end of 2020, an increase of 129.8 percent. The largest percentage increase from pre-COVID-19 to present-day COVID came at the Yuma Community Food Bank in Yuma, Arizona, where data shows a remarkable 1,797 percent increase. (Patch News Photo) Patch has partnered with Feeding America to raise awareness of the millions of Americans who are at risk of starvation. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks across the country, estimates that around 42 million Americans may not have enough nutritious foods to eat in 2021 due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. This is a social project run by Patch; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations. Find out how to donate in your community or find a pantry near you.
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