A Hungry Thanksgiving For Millions: 1 In 8 Americans Didn’t Have Enough Food Last Week, Census Bureau Reports

Topline

More than 25 million American adults reported they sometimes or often didn’t have enough food to eat in the past week, according to U.S. Census Bureau survey data collected in late October and early November, a drastic increase compared to pre-pandemic totals. 

Key Facts

Key Background:

According to recent research by The Brooking Institute, a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, DC., low-income families with children have been disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. “A typical feature of recessions is that those who had fewer means before the downturn suffer more during downturns and for longer,” writes Lauren Bauer, a Fellow in Economic Studies at Brookings. Bauer adds that “the loss of a job or income, as well as unstable child care arrangements, are associated with the onset of food insecurity” and that the parents of young children reporting such high rates of inadequate food security is “of urgent public concern.” According to the United States Department of Agriculture, lower food security is linked to a higher probability of developing heart disease, hepatitis, cancer, asthma, diabetes, arthritis, and kidney disease. 

Big Number:

$1 Trillion. During the pandemic, from March 2020 to November 2020, American billionaires gained almost $1 trillion in total wealth, according to a recent report from the Institute for Policy Studies. (Elon Musk’s net worth has nearly quadrupled during the Covid-19 pandemic, jumping from $24.6 billion in mid-March to a Forbes-estimated $129.6 billion as of Wednesday afternoon). 

Tangent:

In the days leading up to Thanksgiving, Americans have been lining up at “historic numbers” at food banks throughout the country. CNN reported Tuesday that residents in New Jersey waited up to five hours to obtain pre-packaged boxes of meals. In October, Feeding America, a nationwide network of more than 200 food banks, projected that the U.S would face a shortage of up to 8 billion meals over the next 12 months.

Critical Quote: 

“I was just telling my mom, ‘You look at people pulling up in Mercedes and stuff, come on.’ If a person driving a Mercedes is in need of food, you know it’s bad,” said Randy Young, a 58-year-old Houston resident.

Further Reading:

A growing number of Americans are going hungry (WaPo)

The Other Public Health Crisis Threatening Thanksgiving (Slate)

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