Food insecurity growing among communities of color in Bucks County
The COVID-19 pandemic increased the rates of hunger and food insecurity across the board for low-income families, but data shows that Black, indigenous, Latino, and other communities of color have been disproportionately impacted.
According to the Urban Institute, about 27% of Latino and Black households in America reported experiencing food insecurity due to COVID. Nationwide, 10.9% of the population is food insecure, meaning that these populations are disproportionately impacted.
Locally, organizers of the Fresh Connect farmer’s market, which has acted as an emergency food assistance site during the pandemic, report that 8% of those served this year identify African American, 2% identify as Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and 14% identify as Latino. Together, they total 24% of those served at Fresh Connect, but only 10.6% of Bucks County residents overall.
Help Knock out Hunger:The pandemic left 30,000 Bucks County residents without enough food. Help the United Way Knock Out Hunger
This is not the only hunger relief program recording disproportionate rates of food insecurity among communities of color — particularly those with children.
Ivins Outreach Center in Lower Bucks ramped up efforts to fight hunger during the pandemic. Executive Director Darletta Berry-Johnson said, “The Ivins Outreach Center has been providing food assistance since the beginning of the pandemic. Ninety percent of the families served were people of color.”
She added that while most of the families she served were people of color, the vast majority of the older adults she served were white.
United Way of Bucks County CEO Marissa Christie is not surprised by Berry-Johnson’s experience.
“First, I think Ivins did a fantastic job reaching some of our under-served communities,” she said. “Second, not all people experience food insecurity for the same reasons. During the pandemic, some seniors couldn’t shop for themselves. There were health and mobility issues. Many seniors on fixed incomes couldn’t manage that.
“The reasons a Black or Latino family needed assistance may be different. There are systemic inequities that make it harder to build intergenerational wealth. Less intergenerational wealth means a greater risk of experiencing poverty, hunger, or food insecurity — particularly if someone in your household lost income during COVID.”
Christie said the United Way of Bucks County is working on several levels to address food insecurity through an equity lens. For example, the organization is working with YWCA of Bucks County and Bucks County Opportunity Council to host free Racial Wealth Gap simulations for Bucks County residents.
The goal is to help people understand the connections between racial equity, hunger, poverty, and wealth. The simulation was created by the anti-hunger organization Bread for the World.
“We want to people to understand the underlying issues, so they can join us as advocates for policies that close the racial wealth gap and reduce food insecurity,” said Christie.
United Way is also in the middle of its annual Bucks Knocks Out Hunger campaign, which provides immediate food support to the community.
Your help needed:How you can help BKO Hunger provide Bucks County food pantries with healthier options
Tim Philpot, United Way’s project lead for Bucks Knocks Out Hunger, said, “When you look at hunger through a racial equity lens, you understand that when you’re feeding people who are food-insecure, you’re also helping to correct a social injustice. We need all the help we can get to break the cycle that disadvantages communities of color.”
United Way of Bucks County hopes to gather 30,000 pounds of healthy foods this year and raise $100,000 for food pantries. The food drive, a no-contact, drive-through operation, will be held on June 18 and 19. To learn more about the drive, view a list of the types of healthy food products needed, or make a donation to the Bucks Knocks Out Hunger campaign, go to www.uwbucks.org/bkohunger or mail a check to United Way of Bucks County – 413 Hood Blvd, Fairless Hills, PA 19030 and write BKO Hunger in the memo line.
