Many Americans lost their secure income as a result of the corona pandemic. Millions depend on donations and help in order to be able to at least get enough food.
By Jule Käppel, ARD-Studio Washington
A full plastic bag makes José Fuente smile. Fortunately, he got vegetables and other groceries from Martha’s Table and is very grateful.
The non-profit organization has been handing out food to those in need in the US capital Washington DC for around 40 years, but never before have so many been dependent on this help. People like José, 50 years old, a slim Latino. He worked as a translator and as a gardener. Then came the pandemic. The corona crisis hit him hard. He became unemployed and comes here – as often as possible, he says.
50 million don’t have enough to eat
Like Fuente, four out of ten Americans were at a blackboard for the first time this year. That’s what the nationwide organization “Feeding America” calculated. She estimates that 50 million people in the United States did not have enough to eat by 2020. Before the pandemic, it was 35 million. And: hunger has reached the middle class.
Many people who get food are from the house next door, says Antoine, one of the helpers. They are not homeless, but simply people in need. With rucksacks and shopping trolleys, women and men, mostly Hispanics, wait in line, shivering. Under a white tent in the driveway is a table with bananas, canned food, and bagel bags. Two coffees, but it’s gone quickly.
Many lack financial reserves
Paulina no longer gets what she wanted either. Muesli is already finished, says the helper Tolu under her yellow cap. There are crackers for that. The 67-year-old Latina takes it. She had cleaned two houses. With that she just got by. She didn’t have to come anymore, she was finally told. It is difficult because she has to pay rent and bills.
Many Americans live from one paycheck to the next. Without any reserves, she hit the corona and then the hunger crisis. Black and Latino families have been hardest hit, both health and economic.
In schools, their children could get a cheap breakfast or even a free lunch. Then the schools closed and there was too little to eat at home.
The state provided a one-time grant of 1200 dollars in the spring. The US Congress has just passed a second aid package, but it is met with resistance from US President Donald Trump. Until the money flows in, millions of people need food donations before Christmas. They come from supermarkets, restaurants or private individuals.
The hunger crisis will probably last for months
There is a replenishment. The petite Conny Zander drove up in the car and hands over cheese and peanut butter sandwiches. For 100 people. You have to stick together as a community, support each other in times of need, says Conny. She is in a position to help, so she is.
The hunger crisis in the USA will continue into next year. The Tafel organization Feeding America warns that eight billion meals will be missing in the coming months. José with his grocery bag is optimistic about the future and has no doubts about America’s comeback. After all, the country is strong.
