Millions of Americans Visit Food Banks for First Time
2020-12-14
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1The deadly COVID-19 virus struck the central United States just as Aaron Crawford's family was in crisis.
2The Minnesota man was unemployed and looking for work.
3His wife needed a medical operation but her job kept cutting her hours because of the coronavirus crisis.
4The Crawfords had no money.
5Their debt and unease were quickly growing.
6They worried about feeding themselves and their two sons, ages 5 and 10.
7Crawford is a 37-year-old who served in the U.S. Navy.
8He saw himself as an independent and able man.
9Asking for food made him uneasy.
10"I felt like I was a failure," he said, because he could not provide for his family.
11Hunger is a cruel reality in the richest country in the world.
12Even before the health crisis, U.S. schools provided millions of meals a day to children.
13And needy older Americans were sometimes forced to choose between buying medicine and food.
14Now, with COVID-19, job losses and business closures, millions more Americans worry about food.
15Food banks around the country are working to meet the increasing need.
16An Associated Press study of data shows the amount of food aid provided in the U.S. has risen sharply in the last year.
17Those fighting hunger say they have never seen anything like this in America, even during the recession of 2007 to 2009.
18The first place many Americans seek help is from food aid programs in their own neighborhoods.
19The Crawfords turned to the Family Resource Centers and Food Shelf organization in Apple Valley, Minnesota.
20When needed, they get monthly boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables, meat and other goods.
21The newly hungry share similar stories of difficulty: Their industry collapsed, they lost a job or their hours were cut.
22Feeding America is the nation's largest anti-hunger organization.
23The AP examined records from 181 of the group's food banks.
24The banks provided 4.2 billion meals from March through October, a record amount.
25The organization also saw a 60 percent average increase in food bank users during the COVID crisis.
26About forty percent of them had never sought food aid before this year.
27And, the AP investigation found that Feeding America supplied about 57 percent more food in July through September this year than in the same months of 2019.
28Feeding America estimates the number of people facing hunger will rise from 35 million in 2019 to more than 50 million by this year's end.
29That amounts to about 1 out of every six people in the country.
30The group says one in four American children will face hunger.
31Some states have been hit harder by the hunger problem.
32Nevada's economy depends on tourism, money spent by visitors to the state.
33The health crisis is crushing its hotel, restaurant and gambling industries.
34Feeding America says it expects Nevada will become the fifth most food-insecure state in the country this year.
35In 2018, it was number 20, the organization reported.
36Feeding America says in four states more than 1 in 5 people are expected to be food insecure by year's end.
37Those states are Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama and Louisiana.
38Norman Butler lives in New Orleans, Louisiana.
39Last month, he went to a food bank for the first time.
40Butler joined a long line of parents and children, older people and unemployed workers waiting for free food.
41You can see the looks on their faces, he said.
42"Everybody's just worried about their next meal."
43Before the pandemic, the 53-year-old Butler was living well.
44He worked in service industry jobs.
45Since March, however, such work has been hard to find.
46In September, the non-profit Food Research & Action Center, or FRAC, released a report on hunger in America.
47It said that 1 in 4 people who did not have enough to eat had good-paying jobs before COVID-19 appeared.
48COVID-19 has been especially destructive among communities of color in America.
49Blacks and Latinos have experienced higher rates of death, infections and joblessness than other groups.
50Unemployment rose sharply among Latinos, to 18.9 percent, this spring.
51That is higher than any other racial or ethnic group, based on federal data.
52Though the rate has since fallen, many are still struggling.
53The FRAC report of September said women, families with children, and people of color are at greatest risk of hunger.
54It reported that more than 1 in 5 Black and Latino parents said they sometimes or often did not have enough to eat.
55The same was true of only 1 in 15 White and Asian families.
56Abigail Leocadio is a 34-year-old immigrant from Mexico.
57The mother of four is a health care worker at a laboratory in Arizona where she lives.
58Earlier this year, her husband lost his job at a restaurant.
59Leocadio's earnings alone could not meet the family's needs.
60Though they own a two-bedroom trailer, they pay $500 a month to keep it on a small piece of land.
61Electricity and internet service are another $450 a month.
62And they had to start buying more food when the health crisis forced schools to close.
63The children had been getting free meals at school.
64Leocadio said food banks provide less than half of what her family eats in four weeks.
65But, the aid helps.
66"Food banks and food pantries are doing great work," says FRAC president Luis Guardia.
67But in the current crisis, he added, "they simply cannot do enough...."
68Anti-hunger groups have pressed Congress for a 15 percent increase in a government assistance program called food stamps.
69A similar measure helped Americans survive the Great Recession.
70An economic aid bill passed by lower house lawmakers this spring includes such a measure.
71But, the Senate continues to debate the issue.
72Some Americans have found that they cannot survive without food banks.
73Phyllis Marder lives in Evanston, Illinois.
74The 66-year-old receives monthly payments from the U.S. Social Security Administration and the national unemployment program.
75But this year, she had to seek additional help at a local food bank.
76At first, Marder did not tell anyone that she was getting free food.
77But then she decided that keeping it a secret, in her words, "makes her feel worse about herself."
78Marder expects her food bank visits to end soon.
79In a few days, she will start a job working from home as a coronavirus contract tracer.
80As the year nears its end, Aaron Crawford of Minnesota feels more at ease.
81Crawford now has two part-time jobs.
82His wife is back at work at a daycare center.
83And their boys are getting breakfast and lunch at their school.
84Their financial troubles have not disappeared.
85They still have living costs to pay and a car that needs repairs.
86But after many dark months, says Crawford, "There's a sense of peace."
87I'm Alice Bryant. And I'm Jill Robbins.
1The deadly COVID-19 virus struck the central United States just as Aaron Crawford's family was in crisis. The Minnesota man was unemployed and looking for work. His wife needed a medical operation but her job kept cutting her hours because of the coronavirus crisis. 2The Crawfords had no money. Their debt and unease were quickly growing. They worried about feeding themselves and their two sons, ages 5 and 10. 3Crawford is a 37-year-old who served in the U.S. Navy. He saw himself as an independent and able man. Asking for food made him uneasy. "I felt like I was a failure," he said, because he could not provide for his family. 4Hunger is a cruel reality in the richest country in the world. Even before the health crisis, U.S. schools provided millions of meals a day to children. And needy older Americans were sometimes forced to choose between buying medicine and food. 5Now, with COVID-19, job losses and business closures, millions more Americans worry about food. Food banks around the country are working to meet the increasing need. An Associated Press study of data shows the amount of food aid provided in the U.S. has risen sharply in the last year. 6Those fighting hunger say they have never seen anything like this in America, even during the recession of 2007 to 2009. 7The first place many Americans seek help is from food aid programs in their own neighborhoods. 8The Crawfords turned to the Family Resource Centers and Food Shelf organization in Apple Valley, Minnesota. When needed, they get monthly boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables, meat and other goods. 9The newly hungry share similar stories of difficulty: Their industry collapsed, they lost a job or their hours were cut. 10Feeding more hungry 11Feeding America is the nation's largest anti-hunger organization. The AP examined records from 181 of the group's food banks. The banks provided 4.2 billion meals from March through October, a record amount. The organization also saw a 60 percent average increase in food bank users during the COVID crisis. About forty percent of them had never sought food aid before this year. 12And, the AP investigation found that Feeding America supplied about 57 percent more food in July through September this year than in the same months of 2019. 13Feeding America estimates the number of people facing hunger will rise from 35 million in 2019 to more than 50 million by this year's end. That amounts to about 1 out of every six people in the country. The group says one in four American children will face hunger. 14Some states have been hit harder by the hunger problem. 15Nevada's economy depends on tourism, money spent by visitors to the state. The health crisis is crushing its hotel, restaurant and gambling industries. Feeding America says it expects Nevada will become the fifth most food-insecure state in the country this year. In 2018, it was number 20, the organization reported. 16Feeding America says in four states more than 1 in 5 people are expected to be food insecure by year's end. Those states are Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama and Louisiana. 17Norman Butler lives in New Orleans, Louisiana. Last month, he went to a food bank for the first time. Butler joined a long line of parents and children, older people and unemployed workers waiting for free food. 18You can see the looks on their faces, he said. "Everybody's just worried about their next meal." 19Before the pandemic, the 53-year-old Butler was living well. He worked in service industry jobs. Since March, however, such work has been hard to find. 20In September, the non-profit Food Research & Action Center, or FRAC, released a report on hunger in America. It said that 1 in 4 people who did not have enough to eat had good-paying jobs before COVID-19 appeared. 21COVID-19 has been especially destructive among communities of color in America. Blacks and Latinos have experienced higher rates of death, infections and joblessness than other groups. 22Unemployment rose sharply among Latinos, to 18.9 percent, this spring. That is higher than any other racial or ethnic group, based on federal data. Though the rate has since fallen, many are still struggling. 23The FRAC report of September said women, families with children, and people of color are at greatest risk of hunger. It reported that more than 1 in 5 Black and Latino parents said they sometimes or often did not have enough to eat. The same was true of only 1 in 15 White and Asian families. 24Abigail Leocadio is a 34-year-old immigrant from Mexico. The mother of four is a health care worker at a laboratory in Arizona where she lives. Earlier this year, her husband lost his job at a restaurant. Leocadio's earnings alone could not meet the family's needs. 25Though they own a two-bedroom trailer, they pay $500 a month to keep it on a small piece of land. Electricity and internet service are another $450 a month. And they had to start buying more food when the health crisis forced schools to close. The children had been getting free meals at school. 26Leocadio said food banks provide less than half of what her family eats in four weeks. But, the aid helps. 27"Food banks and food pantries are doing great work," says FRAC president Luis Guardia. But in the current crisis, he added, "they simply cannot do enough...." 28Anti-hunger groups have pressed Congress for a 15 percent increase in a government assistance program called food stamps. A similar measure helped Americans survive the Great Recession. 29An economic aid bill passed by lower house lawmakers this spring includes such a measure. But, the Senate continues to debate the issue. 30Some Americans have found that they cannot survive without food banks. 31Phyllis Marder lives in Evanston, Illinois. The 66-year-old receives monthly payments from the U.S. Social Security Administration and the national unemployment program. But this year, she had to seek additional help at a local food bank. 32At first, Marder did not tell anyone that she was getting free food. But then she decided that keeping it a secret, in her words, "makes her feel worse about herself." 33Marder expects her food bank visits to end soon. In a few days, she will start a job working from home as a coronavirus contract tracer. 34As the year nears its end, Aaron Crawford of Minnesota feels more at ease. 35Crawford now has two part-time jobs. His wife is back at work at a daycare center. And their boys are getting breakfast and lunch at their school. 36Their financial troubles have not disappeared. They still have living costs to pay and a car that needs repairs. 37But after many dark months, says Crawford, "There's a sense of peace." 38I'm Alice Bryant. And I'm Jill Robbins. 39The Associated Press reported this story. Alice Bryant adapted it for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. 40________________________________________________________________ 41Words in This Story 42data - n. facts or information used usually to calculate, analyze, or plan something 43gambling - n. the practice of risking money in a game or bet 44trailer - n. a mobile home 45contact tracer - n. someone who identifies people who may have come into physical contact with a person who has a virus