Two years after the pandemic's start, Washington's food banks still strained
Demand at Seattle-area food banks continues to remain high, two years after the start of the pandemic.
“It’s not slowing down at all," said Carmen Smith, executive director at the White Center Food Bank. "Now we’re navigating other things like rising food costs and increases in fuel (costs). And so people are relying on the food bank to be able to stretch their budgets in other ways.”
Public Health Seattle and King County says that more than 113,000 households receive some form of federal food assistance.
And now that school is out, many children who rely on school meals will have one less option for food. A federal program that has helped states provide food during the summer has not been extended.
The number of Washington residents going hungry has nearly tripled during the pandemic.
Read the full story here.
More about Western Washington's food insecurity issue:
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Ruby de Luna
Reporter
Ruby de Luna is a reporter with a focus on food and how it intersects with health, communities, and culture. She has also reported on health care, and immigrant communities.
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