OP-ED

How we can end hunger

By Andrew Schiff
Posted 11/22/22

It’s time for Thanksgiving. A time when we express gratitude for all the good things in our lives, including the food on our plates.

We remember those who aren’t as lucky by donating …

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OP-ED

How we can end hunger

Posted

It’s time for Thanksgiving. A time when we express gratitude for all the good things in our lives, including the food on our plates.

We remember those who aren’t as lucky by donating food and contributing money to local agencies. But as we welcome the holiday season and experience the inherent joy in giving to others, the latest statistics on the prevalence of hunger should give us pause.

This week, the Rhode Island Community Food Bank released its annual Status Report on Hunger. The findings in the report are shocking: nearly one in three households can’t afford adequate food. The rate of food insecurity is even higher for families with children and in communities of color.

For all households in Rhode Island, food insecurity is three times more prevalent than before the pandemic. The number of people seeking food assistance has grown dramatically this year. Now over 60,000 Rhode Islanders are served each month at food pantries and meal sites.   

The combination of raging inflation and the end of Covid-19 relief programs has depleted the household budgets of low-income families. Incomes that used to feed the family now only cover expenses through the third week of the month when there’s no food left and no money to buy more.

This is a crisis that requires a collective response, far beyond our individual efforts, no matter how well-intentioned. We need long-term, sustainable solutions to the problem of hunger.   

Fortunately, we know what works. After the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020, Congress enacted several programs that were effective at reducing food insecurity and preventing hunger. Low-income families benefitted from higher SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits, free school meals, and an expanded Child Tax Credit.

Created as temporary measures in response to the health emergency, all of these programs should be reauthorized or made permanent now.

The same holiday spirit that inspires us to donate should embolden us to advocate. It’s time to urge our political leaders to make ending hunger a priority. With the right programs and policies in place, we can all sit down at the holiday table together and give thanks.

Andrew Schiff is CEO of the Rhode Island Community Food Bank.  

hunger, insecurity

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