Census data shows that more Americans are facing food scarcity, The Wall Street Journal reports.
The U.S. Census Bureau is conducting a weekly Household Pulse Survey, launched April 23, to track how the pandemic is affecting American households. The surveys poll roughly 1 million Americans a week. The latest survey was conducted July 16-July 21.
The data shows that slightly more than 12 percent of Americans did not have enough to eat in the week before the survey, up from 9.8 percent in a survey conducted in early May, the Journal reports. And nearly 20 percent of respondents with children at home couldn't afford enough food for them, up from nearly 17 percent in early June.
Also, the number of people receiving benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, rose by nearly 16 percent between March and April, data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows. In contrast, the biggest increase in one month during the most recent recession was 7.3 percent in September 2008.
Feeding America, which runs more than 200 food banks, has distributed 1.9 billion meals since March, about 50 percent higher than normal, COO Katie Fitzgerald told the Journal. The group predicts a need for 14 billion meals through next June.
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