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How to Help Your Local Food Bank During The COVID-19 Outbreak

Most of us may not be aware of this, but there is roughly 12% of Americans facing the hunger issue each and every day. That is 1 of 8 people living in the United States. And as the whole world is currently facing a pandemic issue, the number of people getting hungry has increased twice, even three times over, which also increased the demand for food.

Yet, it’s hard to believe in a land of abundance such as our country, supplying food for the hungry is becoming a great challenge. In fact, a recent analysis showed that food insecurity exists everywhere in the United States, from the most affluent to the underprivileged communities.

So what can you do to support organizations that are providing a decent meal for those who are struggling to get enough food to eat? And to be more specific, how to help your local food bank during the COVID-19 outbreak?

Read more as we are going to provide the answers in today’s post.

Hunger Is A Social Problem

The issue of hunger is rooted in poverty. In short, people don’t have the means to buy fresh food because they have no money. And this problem is exacerbated by the lack of access to food providers, especially in low-income neighborhoods that have fewer supermarkets and unreliable public transportation.

And the situation gets even worse as the COVID-19 lockdown also caused less physical access to food, which also caused more White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian Americans to become victims of food insecurity.

How To Support Your Community’s Food Pantry?

Here’s what you can do to help the local food bank in your community:

1. Donate Money – The best thing you can donate to non-profit organizations such as your local food pantry is money. They need all the financial support they can get, as every dollar they receive will be used to purchase food from their partner suppliers.

Of course, the current health crisis has brought unprecedented challenges to food pantries everywhere. That’s why organizations like Second Harvest Food Bank are doing what they can to make sure the money they receive will be put into good use, both in providing food for the hungry and operating safely at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Visit their site to know more on how you can donate to their COVID-19 relief efforts.

2. Donate Food – If you want to donate food, we suggest you give nutritious and non-perishable items as much as possible like:

  • Rice
  • Pasta
  • Canned soup
  • Canned fruits
  • Canned veggies
  • Canned fish
  • Canned beans
  • Dried beans
  • Peanut butter

In addition, read the labels of the food before donating. We recommend you donate foods that have “no added sugar”, “no added salt”, and “low-sodium” so they can provide food who have high blood, diabetes, and at risk of stroke or heart disease.

3. Provide Help By Volunteering – And if you don’t have the means to donate food or money because of the COVID-19, you can still do your share of helping the community by becoming a volunteer at your local food bank. Your simple effort could mean a lot to those who are in need, especially at the time of a health crisis. Just reach out to them as there plenty of slots to fill up.

Visit Second Harvest Food Bank’s website if you want to be a food bank volunteer and help out the community.