Fort Worth area faces huge hunger crisis in COVID-19 recession, and Congress must act
In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, our neighbors in the greater Fort Worth area are struggling against unprecedented hardships, including hunger.
As schools remain closed, millions of children miss out on daily school meals — one of few sources of nutrition for thousands of Texas kids. Businesses are still shutting down and laying off workers, leaving families without steady paychecks needed to afford groceries.
Tarrant Area Food Bank, along with the entire Feeding America network of 200 member food banks and 60,000 partner pantries and meal programs, is working around the clock to help families keep food on the table. However, we cannot do this work alone.
The only way to ensure no one goes hungry during and after the coronavirus crisis is through both a strong charitable sector and deep government investment in our federal nutrition programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP.
According to a recent survey of the Feeding America network, each of the 200 member food banks reported a significant increase in need for food assistance in their communities, with an average 60 percent increase in demand.
While food banks like Tarrant Area Food Bank are doing what we do best — feeding people — we are struggling to help the hundreds of people who are seeking food assistance right now, including families seeking help for the first time.
Donna is a North Texan currently living in a motel with her four kids ages 8 to 16. As a single parent and domestic abuse survivor struggling with health issues, Donna relies on food from Tarrant Area Food Bank while balancing her online Bachelor’s degree program, and caretaking for her kids.
Donna receives SNAP benefits, but with three growing boys under her roof, her allotted assistance per month stretches only so far, so she relies on her local food pantry for fresh groceries.
Many families like Donna’s live day by day wondering where their next meal is coming from. Donna admits that many days, she has filled up on soda alone to allow her kids to eat and says she misses meals so that her kids won’t.
We cannot expect food banks to completely shoulder the task of feeding our nation during one of its greatest times of need. Congress should increase SNAP benefits by 15 percent — similar to what was done following the Great Recession — so we can help feed families who are already and newly struggling against hunger.
SNAP is proven to help safeguard the food security of people in times of need. For every meal the Feeding America network provides, SNAP provides nine.
SNAP is also a critical economic multiplier. When low-income families receive SNAP benefits to purchase groceries, those dollars are circulated within and stimulate local economies.
As unemployment claims across the country continue to surge, the economic downturn is likely to last a while. Increasing SNAP benefits will help make the program even more responsive to any economic downswing that is sure to come. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office rated an increase in SNAP benefits as one of the most cost-effective ways to boost economic growth and create jobs in a weak economy.
Congress has already passed significant legislation to mitigate the economic hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, but it hasn’t adjusted SNAP benefits. The recently introduced HEROES Act is a step in the right direction. It calls for increasing the maximum SNAP benefit by 15% and increasing the minimum to $30
It would also suspend federal rules that would have eliminated or greatly reduced benefits for millions of households. We encourage all members of Congress to support this legislation and keep it in place for the duration of the economic downturn.
As our communities continue to weather extraordinary circumstances, we need extraordinary help. More than ever, this means increasing SNAP benefits for people facing hunger.