Hungry Children In Connecticut: What Is To Be Done?

CONNECTICUT — The coronavirus has altered the way we meet, learn, dress and even walk down the street. In many households in Connecticut it has also impacted whether children have enough to eat.

Food-insecure households — those which lack access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members — are not necessarily food insecure all the time. Food insecurity may reflect a household's need to make trade-offs between important basic needs, such as housing or medical bills, and purchasing nutritionally adequate foods.

Food insecurity is often thought of as a "poor people's problem," but not all people living in poverty are food insecure, and not all food-insecure people live in poverty. Food insecurity is a complex issue sandwiched in with other systemic challenges, including poverty, low wages, affordable housing shortages, chronic and acute health problems, high medical costs and social isolation.

Feeding America, the nation's largest hunger relief organization, says coronavirus-related economic crises could push the number of food insecure Americans to 54 million by year's end. That's 17 million more Americans than who were food insecure before the pandemic.

Last year, pre-pandemic, Connecticut Food Bank distributed enough food to prepare nearly 22.5 million meals to people in need in Fairfield, Litchfield, Middlesex, New Haven, New London, and Windham counties, which is home to 71 percent of the state's population and 65 percent of the state's food insecure – nearly 270,000 people.

It will only be worse when the final numbers for 2020 are tabulated. To see how the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated food insecurity among children in Connecticut, compare the 2018 rate in your home county against the 2020 numbers, as projected by Feeding America, the nation's largest hunger relief organization:

Ultimately, the impact of the coronavirus crisis on food insecurity will depend on the speed with which transmission of the virus can be controlled and closures and social distancing orders are relaxed. The faster everyone gets back to work, the fewer hungry children there will be.

What can be done in the interim?

Federal nutrition programs, especially the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), are a crucial first line of defense against food insecurity for millions of people and will become particularly critical during this period of acute need, according to Feeding America. Policies responding to this crisis have included additional federal food purchases and SNAP benefits for some families as well as flexibility in program operations to adjust to changing local environments as local SNAP offices and schools close and individuals are limited in their mobility.

Related: Millions Made Hungry By Pandemic Could Include Your Neighbor

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Another important link in the food chain — one that is fraying under the coronavirus strain — are local food banks. Not only has the demand quadrupled in some municipalities since the virus outbreak, but the global pandemic has disrupted the distribution and delivery mechanisms. All of these non-profit organizations are able to offset child food insecurity in Connecticut only with continued support from residents in the form of volunteerism, and food and financial donations.

A listing of food pantries and emergency food assistance locations in your area can also be obtained by calling the United Way from any area in the state by dialing 211 or visiting their website. FoodPantries.org has established a directory of food banks, soup kitchens and non-profit organizations committed to fighting hunger. A list of these supports, sorted by town, can be accessed here.

Patch has partnered with Feeding America to help raise awareness on behalf of the millions of Americans facing hunger. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks across the country, estimates that in 2020, more than 54 million Americans will not have enough nutritious food to eat due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations. Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you.