Millions are flooding a charitable system that was never intended to handle a nationwide crisis.

(NYTimes) April 8, 2020

In Omaha, a food pantry that typically serves as few as 100 people saw 900 show up on a single day. In Jonesboro, Ark., after a powerful tornado struck, a food bank received less than half the donations it expected because nervous families held on to what they had. And in Washington State and Louisiana, the National Guard has been called in to help pack food boxes and ensure that the distributions run smoothly.

Demand for food assistance is rising at an extraordinary rate, just as the nation’s food banks are being struck by shortages of both donated food and volunteer workers.

...

Mr. Mason described the sight of mile after mile of drivers seeking food as “an eye-opener, mind-blowing, an experience I will never forget.” He and Ms. Stewart said they honked their horn as a gesture of appreciation for volunteers, then drove home and shared eggs and fruit with neighbors who do not own cars.

...

Perhaps more alarmingly, many of the organizations that typically donate large volumes of food have themselves shut down. Restaurants, hotels and casinos have closed across the country. And grocery stores, which ordinarily share unsold inventory that is approaching its best-by date, have less to donate because their worried customers have been stripping so many shelves bare. ...

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/08/business/economy/coronavirus-food-banks.html

#poverty #foodBanks #covid19 #coronavirus #safetyNet #hunger #food

‘Never Seen Anything Like It’: Cars Line Up for Miles at Food Banks (Published 2020)

Millions are flooding a charitable system that was never intended to handle a nationwide crisis.