For the past year and a half, blackboards, communal refrigerators, and pantries for mutual help have been inundated with demand. Despite many officials pretending the pandemic is over, millions of Americans are still suffering. According to May census data, over 19 million American adults reported that their households sometimes or often did not have enough to eat for the past week, nearly three times the number of those who suffered from food insecurity in 2019. And now cuts in government support – which some lawmakers consider unnecessary – can potentially make matters worse.
$ 1.9 trillion from President Biden Bi American rescue plan, which increases the benefits of the SN by 15 percent and expands unemployment insurance, is due to expire in September. But some states have already canceled federal unemployment benefits and 25 states will withdraw of at least some form of federal aid by July. All states that withdraw from federal aid have Republican governors.
Republicans also in the Ohio Senate recently pushed through Changes to the state’s SN benefit program, further restricting food aid entitlements. Changes include capping a family’s total assets at $ 2,250. Assets include cars that are not used for work or are worth more than $ 4,650. So basically if you have a decent car ready to drive, you can’t qualify. „It will take food out of the mouth of hungry children and working families,” said Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks the Columbus shipping.
The governors of these states seem convinced that federal aid is preventing people from looking for work. „After our shops and schools reopen, these payments will discourage people from going back to work.” said Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds. However, this theory has been debunked pretty thoroughly as many say they cannot take the risk of a job, especially given the low wages and instability restaurants and other industries are currently experiencing.
Much food aid has come in the form of community refrigerators and food supplies that accept food donations from individuals and restaurants in the community and then distribute it to those who need it. In contrast to charity, which is based on a one-sided dynamic of organizations that determine what is needed in a community (often from the outside), mutual help operates on an ethos that everyone has something to give and everyone has something they need . „Whether it is about the distribution of seeds and plants, food or medical supplies, mutual aid also takes place outside of systems of government that silence the marginalized and is based on the understanding that communities have the power to dictate the world, that they want. „To live,” wrote Luz Cruz for Eater.
However, the withdrawal of these states will continue to weigh on America’s patchwork food aid system that it already has long lines and high demand as well less donations. „We are still serving about one to one and a half million more meals each month than we did before Covid,” said Teresa Schryver, advocacy manager for the St. Louis Area Food Bank in Bridgeton, Missouri. said the guard. „We could see another spike in July and August as we lose unemployment benefits here in Missouri, so we could have 2 million meals again for a few months.” The cuts will end benefits for 3.9 million people in 25 states or reduce.
In addition to the lack of support and help, there is also the problem of rising food prices. According to the Wall Street Journal, everything from higher transportation costs to bad weather affecting crops, as well as a ransomware attack on the food company JBS, is driving food prices across the country. “For some food manufacturers, the costs of transporting food products have increased by up to 25 percent compared to the previous year because high demand for shipping during the pandemic coupled with a lack of truck drivers „, WSJ reported. Beef prices are rising by up to 40 percent, and even discount stores like Dollar Tree have a hard time keeping prices down.
As states reopen and federal aid wears off, we need to remember that the pandemic and its effects are not over yet. Globally, there are still an average of 10,000 COVID-19-related deaths per day, and while the numbers are falling and vaccinations are increasing in America, we still have an average of 14,000 cases per day. Children under the age of 12 are still not eligible for the vaccine, making reopening and regular human contact even more questionable for those with families or those who work with children. And although treatment has gotten better, many are still suffering from the long-term effects of COVID.
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