No one should have to go hungry

Between March 1 and April 28 the volume of calls to United Way’s 211 line relating to food & meals jumped 300% compared to the pre-coronavirus timeframe.

Food insecurity is a situation that far too many in the Dane County area experience. It is estimated that 65% of Dane County households are in this position due to a combination of factors including low wages of underemployment, the high cost of housing in Dane County, medical and other basic living expenses. Seniors, individuals, and households with children make up this statistic. Imagine worrying about running out of food without having the means to purchase more. 

Now imagine the impact in March 2020 when COVID 19 necessitated the stay at home order closing non-essential businesses and schools which resulted in many losing their paychecks, while seeing increased demand on the household food budget. Those barely making it paycheck to paycheck found themselves in a precarious position; and households who had never experienced unemployment found themselves struggling to meet their basic living expenses and put food on the table. 

While government stimulus checks and increased unemployment checks helped ease the hardships, many struggled to access these benefits due to the unprecedented volume of claims, and those benefits are temporary. Unemployment has decreased somewhat since the end of the stay at home order, however, some jobs may be permanently gone or may pay less as the economy slowly opens. Households with young children may find themselves struggling to juggle employment and the added stress of accommodating virtual school schedules. Many households will continue to experience a significant gap between financial resources and payments for housing, childcare, and food. 

Feeding America projects food insecurity in Dane County will jump 63% as a result of the pandemic.

When the stay at home order was issued in March 2020, food banks and food pantries, which provide emergency food resources to families in need, were deemed 'essential services' and were able to remain open; however, their world changed dramatically:  

• Increased demand at the same time that the national food supply chains were challenged 
• Diminished volunteer pool due to large numbers in higher-risk groups
• Diminished sources of food donations through food drives championed by schools and businesses
• Need to modify operations to comply with Dane County Public Health requirements of social distancing and gatherings.

Using federal funds available through the Cares Act, Dane County distributed $3 million to Second Harvest Food Bank to stock area food pantries in Dane County through the end of July. In June, the county doubled the amount invested to a total of $6 million. Despite the influx of funding, it is estimated these funds will be depleted by the end of October when demand is expected to increase again.