OGDEN, Utah - While the $900 billion pandemic-relief package should be a welcome assist for struggling Utah families, a coalition that works to fight hunger in the state says it's only a small step toward bringing their lives back to normal.
The stimulus bill, passed by Congress and signed by the president, will provide minimal cash assistance and a small increase in SNAP benefits. But Gina Cornia, director of Utahns Against Hunger, said thousands of families devastated by the COVID-19 crisis will need sustained assistance to fully recover.
"Even though we now have a couple of vaccines that will be available, it's not going to be available to everybody all at once," she said. "So, through the rest of the winter, the spring and the summer, families are going to continue to need assistance. Individuals are going to continue to need assistance."
The measure provides $600 cash payments to qualified individuals, extends a ban on evictions, provides additional loans for small business, aid to school districts and other benefits. A new bill, pending in the U.S. Senate, could raise the cash payments to as high as $2,000.
Cornia said a record number of Utah families became food-insecure for the first time in recent months, meaning they don't always have an adequate amount of nutritious food. They've flocked to local food banks to put meals on the table, which is putting a long-term strain on the system.
"As the economy improves and the impact from the pandemic may flatten, the need for emergency food is going to continue," she said. "It has for decades; we know that that's not going to change, and the lingering effects will be ongoing for at least 18 more months."
Cornia said she believes the pandemic caught both state and federal policymakers unprepared, making the crisis worse than it needed to be.
"We need policymakers to be more forward-looking and think about what policy solutions and funding solutions are available to them," she said, "so that the next crisis - whether it is some economic crisis or a health crisis - that we're not caught off guard."
She added that Utahns Against Hunger plans to work with both state and federal officials in the new year to bolster long-term food assistance and other key programs to help Utah families recover.
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As COVID-era benefits near expiration, a recent Child Wellness Summit brought together nonprofits to tackle urgent child well-being and food-insecurity issues.
Missouri families grappling with inflation and high living costs are facing increased challenges, particularly in providing food, utilities and health care for children.
Jocelyn Fundoukos, director of communications for Operation Food Search, said that Missouri's child poverty rate doubled in 2022, leaving one in six children at risk of hunger. She said during the pandemic, her group was able to increase the amount of meals they served significantly. Unlike other states, Missouri has chosen not to retain certain pandemic benefits, such as flexible summer-meal distribution methods.
"It meant that we could serve more meals in a drive-through fashion. Now, it has returned to kids being required to eat the meals on site. So that obviously makes it trickier to get the food to as many kids as we could," she explained.
Data from Missouri Kids Count show last year, 33% of children in St. Louis lived in poverty, and 26% experienced food insecurity, meaning their families had no access to sufficient or quality food.
Fundoukos said getting enough healthy food can also be challenging because of such factors as "food deserts" in rural areas, lack of transportation, and others that prevent families from reaching available resources. She said it's important to understand that parts of the state may not have a local grocer, but perhaps just a convenience store with limited perishable items such as fresh produce.
"Kids may be getting something to put in their stomachs to sort of stave off the extreme hunger, but they're not getting the nutritious food they need to grow and thrive or to even be able to focus in school or sit still and pay attention," she continued.
She said summit participants emphasized the need for greater collaboration across different sectors to address complex issues holistically. St. Louis Area Diaper Bank, United 4 Children and Missouri Kids Win all participated in the dialogue, which was facilitated by Focus St. Louis.
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Volunteering is a "leap of faith" - donating time and in-kind support to help others who are struggling - but research shows people who pitch in, improve their own mental and physical health.
Barbara Guenther is the manager of volunteer programs for New Mexico's Roadrunner Food Bank.
She said volunteers aren't always sure what they're getting into, but typically describe the experience as very rewarding.
While volunteer hours dipped during COVID, she said more folks have been returning - with upwards of 175 volunteers helping out every week, or at least once a month on a regular basis.
"For the last two years at least, coming out of the pandemic, our volunteers have donated more than 50,000 hours a year," said Guenther, "and I'm anticipating at the end of our fiscal year, probably close to 60,000."
She said those hours equate to about 25 full time employees. What's more, she says the monetary value of the volunteer time performed for Roadrunner is estimated at $1.4 million.
April is "National Volunteer Month," with mental health experts noting that volunteering can improve physical and mental health, provide purpose, teach new skills and nurture relationships.
Guenther said Roadrunner Food Bank attracts volunteers from all walks of life - corporate, civic and schools groups - and those who want to connect to the group's mission of getting food into the hands of hungry people, without barriers.
"What I find interesting," said Guenther, "is that a lot of times people will come as part of a group and that's their first contact with us and they say, 'Oh hey, this kind-of got me in the door but I want to come do this as an individual.'"
She said one way people volunteer is at Roadrunner's Albuquerque warehouse - typically working two hour shifts, sorting produce and dry and canned goods.
Those goods are later delivered statewide by trucks to food pantries, senior centers, low-income housing locations, group homes, shelters, school partners, health clinics, and other locations.
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Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer.
Federal officials have approved the Badger State's plan to join a new program that includes dozens of other states. Gov. Tony Evers has said Wisconsin is the first state to get the green light for the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer program, and 36 other states are poised to launch this summer. Eligible households will receive pre-loaded debit cards that families can use to buy groceries.
Shelly Fortner, executive director of The Hunger Task Force of La Crosse applauded the move, noting that half of kids in the local school district already qualify for free and reduced-price lunches during school.
"We've got families with low incomes - most of them working, by the way - but just not able to put that extra meal on the table for kids who are home during the summer months," she said.
This new permanent program, authorized by Congress, is similar to the enhanced meal access the federal government provided during the pandemic. Throughout Wisconsin, there are separate meal sites for these kids when school isn't in session, but supporters of the new effort say it provides more flexibility, especially for households with limited transportation options.
State officials have pointed out that most families already enrolled in the National School Lunch Program will automatically receive the summer benefits.
Fortner said meal access aids kids in their learning. For the summer, she said, the additional access will keep them active.
"We've had a lot of information about sedentary activities like video games and TV and all of that," he said, "but our kids are now getting outdoors more, and they need to have that energy to be able to keep that up."
She added that this should help foster healthy lifelong habits for kids and prevent them from starting the next school year feeling sluggish. For each eligible child, the state will provide a one-time summer benefit of $120. It's anticipated the money will be available in late June.
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