Food bank use in Pa. triples amid coronavirus unemployment

It’s hard to quantify just how many more people are using the region’s food pantries as a result of the coronavirus, but anecdotally, Amy Hill is hearing the need has tripled when compared to this week last year.

“Some of our agencies have reported three times the number of clients they’re used to serving,” said Hill, who is the director of community engagement for the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. “We are seeing increased demand.”

She doesn’t know of another time when this kind of demand has been put on food banks.

And neither do officials at the York County Food Bank, where they are are busier than they have been in their 40-year history.

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Food banks see fluctuations in demand as economic times change. Last year, they saw increased demand during the federal government shut down, but now, that pales in comparison to what they’re seeing.

“This is on a much more massive scale,” Hill said. “We’re seeing lots of people who, for the first time in their lives, are wondering how they’re going to pay for their groceries.”

Record-shattering unemployment and closed schools are major factors, but in any time during economic uncertainty, the first people who are hurt are usually those who are already living the edge, financially. Lower-paying hourly workers may see their hours cut back, putting them further and further into a bad situation and in need of food-bank services, she said.


Link: https://www.pennlive.com/news/2020/03/food-bank-use-in-pa-triples-amid-coronavirus-unemployment.html