Giving Compass' Take:

• Food banks need more volunteers and a long-term solution to help sustain the need for food in the wake of COVID-19. 

• How can cross-sector partnerships help aid food banks? 

• Read about food assistance strategies during this time. 

Demand is up. Supply is down. How can you help beat food insecurity and hunger during COVID-19?

You’ve no doubt seen the increasingly alarming coverage in the national media about the desperate situation faced by food banks across the U.S.. From NBC to The Atlantic, the stories just seem to get more concerning as this pandemic continues. Astronomical increases in demand, often from people for whom it’s the first time tapping into these safety nets. Restaurant closures making it impossible to funnel gifts over to the pantries. Grocery stores cleaned out by nervous consumers, halting their usual donations. A loss of volunteers, and disruption to the traditional methods of volunteering with food banks and pantries.

Feeding America estimates that an additional $1.4 billion in resources will be needed for the next 6 months to continue operations and provide the food needed to those struggling with hunger. That’s a 30% increase to the baseline six-month operating costs of 200 member food banks across the country. The team there conducted a survey of the nation’s food banks in March that puts it all in stark perspective:

  • 98% report increased demand for food assistance
  • 59% report having less inventory
  • 95% report higher operational expenses… and 37% reported an immediate critical funding shortfall

The pandemic has urgently highlighted a need to re-think how we engage with populations who typically serve on-site, and enjoy regular schedules, such as those at our libraries, pantries and food banks. While states like Washington and California are using the help of the National Guard and the Conservation Corps to fill the volunteer gap, this is not a long-term solution.

And a long-term solution is what we need to be aiming for: Head of the California Association of Food Banks, Stacia Hill Levenfeld said on a recent Facebook Live with California Volunteers, “We don’t expect the demand for interest in food to drop off anytime soon. This is a long term situation and the need for volunteers will be crucial as the months go on.”

Read the full article about how to meet demand at food banks by Laura Plato at VolunteerMatch.