Letter: Fighting food insecurity during a pandemic | Letters To The Editor

To the editor:

Prior to the COVID-19, pandemic food insecurity in the United States was the lowest it had been in 20 years yet 35.2 million people, 10.7 million of those children, still suffered from food insecurity in 2019. Food insecurity is referred to the USDA’s measures of an individual’s lack of access to food to ensure they have enough nutrient enriched foods to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle.

Frequently food-insecure households experience varying periods of food insecurity, meaning they may have enough food for a period time. But find themselves making significant choices around their basic needs such as either buying food, paying their rent, or paying other bills. Take a moment and imagine what it would be like, to make decisions about sacrificing your basic needs to merely be able to have food on the table. Although a multitude of improvements have been made over the years to lessen food insecurities the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a significant rise in households experiencing food insecurities.

According to Feeding America, the largest nonprofit in the United States projected that the COVID-19 pandemic may cause 42 million individuals, 13 million of those children, to experience food insecurity in 2021. Although Feeding America is working collaboratively with 200 food banks, 60,000 food pantries as well as other meal programs, clearly is not enough. Hunger has no boundaries, and no one deserves to go hungry.

Kimberley Remick

Mattapoisett