Testimony on the Status of Hunger in NYC and the Impact of COVID

Testimony of Charles Platkin, Ph.D., J.D., M.P.H., Distinguished Lecturer, Hunter College, CUNY; Executive Director, Hunter College New York City Food Policy Center
Title of hearing: The Status of Hunger in NYC and the Impact of COVID.
June 28, 2021

Thank you to Chairperson Levin and the members of the Committee on General Welfare and Hunger for the opportunity to submit written testimony regarding the “Status of Hunger in NYC and the Impact of COVID.” 

I am providing this testimony on behalf of the Hunter College New York City Food Policy Center, of which I am the executive director. The Center was created in 2012 to develop collaborative, innovative and evidence-based solutions to prevent diet-related diseases, promote healthy eating and reduce food insecurity in New York City and other urban centers. The Center works with policy makers, community organizations, advocates and the public to create healthier, more sustainable food environments. We thank the City Council and the Speaker’s office for their support of our Center.

“Where is my next meal coming from?” It’s a question that more than a million New Yorkers asked themselves before the pandemic, are asking themselves today, and will, unfortunately, be asking themselves tomorrow. It’s a question no one should ever need to ask in one of the world’s wealthiest cities. Healthy food is a basic human right, and no New Yorker should ever have to experience hunger and not know where their next meal is coming from. 

Defining Hunger and Food Insecurity 

Before examining how hunger and food insecurity are afflicting New York City residents, it is important to understand the distinction between the two concepts. 

The USDA defines food insecurity as the “limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways,” and adds that food-insecure households report three specific conditions:

  1. Worrying whether their food will run out before they are able to buy more
  2. The food they bought didn’t last and they didn’t have money to get more
  3. They can’t afford to eat balanced meals.1

This is different from hunger, which can be a consequence of food insecurity and refers to a physiological sensation, as opposed to an economic and/or social situation. Individuals who are experiencing hunger may be experiencing food insecurity as well; however, hunger can result from missing a meal or meals for reasons other than food insecurity.2

While the definition of food insecurity may be clear to academics, politicians and government staffers, a study reported by this Center in 2018 demonstrated that, even among New Yorkers who are food insecure, many struggle to define what that actually means — in fact more than two thirds of those surveyed were unable to define food insecurity.

Why is this significant? Because, in order to design appropriate interventions with successful outcomes for the diverse populations we are trying to serve, everyone involved must have the same understanding of the terminology and problem. The existing differences in understanding (or lack thereof), especially among those who are food insecure, suggest the need for a greater emphasis on food-policy education, including the establishment of commonly accepted  terminology.

Hunger and Food Insecurity in NYC 

Food insecurity is a public health crisis across America, and New York City (NYC) is no exception. 

Hunger and food insecurity are pervasive throughout NYC, impacting more than a million New Yorkers even before the COVID-19 pandemic reached the city.3 Now, while vaccination rates climb and city life returns, hunger and food insecurity remain critical issues for many households across the five boroughs.4 Furthermore, hunger, food insecurity, and poor access to healthy food disproportionately impact underserved communities of color.5,6

Hunger and food insecurity can have devastating effects on an individual’s health. Lack of access to healthy foods can lead to nutrient-deficient diets that might cause diet-related diseases such as hypertension and diabetes.7 Poor health related to hunger and food insecurity can also impact COVID-19 outcomes, increasing the risk of hospitalization and death from the disease.8

Households with children are known to have higher rates of hunger and food insecurity than those without.9 Hunger and food insecurity have a negative impact on the well-being of children, potentially leading to long-term behavioral and psychological problems10 as well as chronic illness.11 No child should be hungry or food insecure and no parents should have to choose between feeding themselves and feeding their children. Since the 2017-2018 school year, public schools in NYC have provided free lunch to all students regardless of income,12 a policy that is known to have had a positive effect on student well-being and performance.13

The Impact of COVID-19 on Hunger and Food Insecurity in NYC

The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted the food system in New York City. NYC worked quickly and aggressively to address the increase in food insecurity brought on by the pandemic, but many City agencies struggled to adapt and expand their food-provision programs to meet specific cultural or dietary needs. And many of the solutions spearheaded by the City government were not designed to continue indefinitely. Now, more than a year into the pandemic, the City is still struggling to reduce food insecurity, hunger, and diet-related diseases. 

While clearly acknowledging the extent of the City’s food insecurity and hunger problems, officials have been unwilling to provide transparency and information that would allow us to determine what lessons have been learned, and whether officials enlisted the partnership of knowledgeable neighborhood organizations. 

Our aim cannot be to return to the pre-pandemic normal, as that would still leave approximately 1.2 million people hungry and food insecure.14 In order to eliminate hunger in NYC, we need long-term solutions to ensure that all New Yorkers have access to healthy, nutritious meals at home, at school, and at work. 

At this moment, it remains difficult to determine how many New Yorkers are experiencing food insecurity because extensive surveys and studies have not yet been completed. But we do know that the number of people experiencing food insecurity and hunger in the City nearly doubled during the pandemic, from 1.2 million to estimates between 1.5 and 2 million people,15,16 and the diet quality for many New Yorkers decreased.17 And a survey of mothers with young children done in April 2020 indicated that nearly one in five stated that the children were not eating enough.18

Programs that existed before the pandemic were ill-equipped to handle this massive increase in demand. Reports from food pantries and other emergency food providers suggest that funding and food supplies may not have been adequate to cover their needs.19 Three out of four food pantries and soup kitchens saw an increase in the total number of visitors compared to year before,20 including a 71 percent increase in undocumented immigrant clients.21 And two of the largest emergency feeding programs, City Harvest and Food Bank For New York City, have reported significant strain on their systems.22

Unemployment rates skyrocketed in the first months of the pandemic, and through 2020 the City lost more than 600,000 jobs.23 The unemployment rate in NYC has reduced significantly since then,24 but as of May 2021 9.8 percent of New Yorkers were still unemployed, which is higher than the national average of 5.8 percent.25,26 Unemployment and poverty are frequently tied to hunger and food insecurity, as they can lead to difficulty affording enough food for everyone in a household.27 Furthermore, declining unemployment rates do not always lead to decreased hunger and food insecurity, as many working individuals and families still have trouble affording enough food, particularly food that is high in nutritional value.28,29

Government funding (from federal,30 state31 and local32 governments) was quickly poured into the NYC food system to feed hungry residents, but at times it was still not enough to get every single person an appropriate amount and variety of food, causing problems for some government-led food delivery initiatives, including GetFoodNYC. Food was delivered to incorrect addresses33 and there were complaints about foods being spoiled, unhealthy, or not culturally appropriate.34,35 These complaints are not new — food pantries and community members have historically experienced the sentiment from emergency food providers that individuals in need should take what they get and should not get upset, which is morally reprehensible.

During the pandemic, many community organizations and individuals pivoted to focus more on connecting those in need with food resources in their neighborhoods, filling in gaps. Faith-based organizations, community centers, restaurants, and nonprofits became hubs for food and meal distribution.36 Unfortunately, residents sometimes waited in lines for hours to receive kitchen staples such as rice and canned goods and many people struggled to get by on diets lacking in protein and other fresh foods.37 While the work done by these organizations was impressive and necessary, many did not have the resources required to meet the needs of all residents. Furthermore, emergency food relief is not a long-term solution to the hunger and food insecurity crisis, and New Yorkers cannot permanently depend on emergency programs to keep themselves fed. Emergency food should be just that — food provided during an emergency. It should not be a system that New Yorkers in need have to rely on every day for food. We need increased SNAP benefits, livable wages, and creative solutions from our local government to ensure all New Yorkers have agency and access to nutritious food. 

New York City Lacks Communication Regarding Important Food Resources

City leaders, community-based organizations, and other community members have acknowledged that, at the beginning of the pandemic, there was a lack of centralized information about food resources. NYC agencies worked to provide information about food pantries and soup kitchens, but this information was not always complete or delivered in ways that all residents could access and understand.  

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and to address these concerns, the Center, collaborating with NYC agencies and community-based organizations, developed Coronavirus NYC Neighborhood Food Resource Guides for each of NYC’s 59 community districts. Each guide provides information specific to the district, including the following:

  • Food pantries and soup kitchens
  • Supermarkets, delis, bodegas, and retail stores (store hours and delivery options)
  • Special shopping hours for seniors at supermarkets
  • Department of Education meal hubs
  • Meals for seniors and delivery programs
  • Resources for people with disabilities
  • Shelters, transitional housing, and services for the homeless
  • Resources for immigrants and undocumented individuals and families
  • Farmers’ markets
  • Nonprofit organizations offering food delivery and/or mobile markets
  • SNAP and WIC resources. 

These guides comprise the most comprehensive public database to provide NYC residents with an up-to-date overview of the various food and social service resources available to them specifically about food in their community. Additionally, the guides can serve as a useful template that can be replicated for other communities.

In addition to being widely used by NYC residents in need, the Center’s Coronavirus NYC Neighborhood Food Resource Guides are actively used by community leaders, academics, journalists, the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Mayor’s Office, the NYC Council, local policymakers, and a variety of other local public and private-facing databases.

The Coronavirus NYC Neighborhood Food Resource Guides offer an invaluable service at a time of unprecedented need. While some organizations track information on specific kinds of services they offer or that are offered within the community, the Center’s Guides are alone in their effort to collate a comprehensive, public online database of food assistance and social services in NYC. Crucially, the Center maintains daily updates of the Guides, with a range of 15 to 60 volunteers per week making calls to check for changes in service information. This system keeps community members up-to-date on the frequent and rapid changes to the services on which they depend. 

Disparities in the Food System Among New York City Communities

As the pandemic recedes and many New Yorkers rejoice in their new-found freedom, many others still suffer from homelessness, joblessness, food insecurity, and hunger. Ensuring that NYC residents have enough food, and that the food is high-quality and nutritionally dense, is critical, especially in light of the impact nutrition has on diet-related diseases and outcomes of COVID-19. 

The NYC economy is rapidly recovering, yet the number of New Yorkers experiencing hunger and food insecurity is still high, especially among Black and Latinx residents.38 Demand at food pantries across the city is still higher than it was before the pandemic.39 Some of this increased need can be explained by larger problems within the food system, including low wages and structural racism.40 In order to eliminate hunger and food insecurity in the New York City food system, we cannot continue to rely on emergency food relief programs. Innovative solutions that address the underlying issues of poverty and social inequity must be considered. 

Gaps that existed before the pandemic between affluent and underserved communities were widened by COVID-19.41,42 Healthy, affordable food is not distributed equitably throughout the City, and many underserved communities (particularly marginalized communities of color) do not have adequate access to healthy, affordable options.43,44 These communities are sometimes known as “food deserts,” but that is not an accurate term — food is available in these communities, but it is often highly processed and unhealthy.45 A more accurate way to refer to the disparity in food access among New York City neighborhoods would be to call it “food apartheid,” a phrase that draws attention to the systemic social and racial inequities that cause unequal access to healthy food.46

Communities affected by food apartheid are those in which nutritious food is unavailable and unhealthy fast-food provides a disproportionately high percentage of people’s diet.47 The lack of healthy food options in underserved communities is a systemic issue that will require innovative, community-driven interventions to correct.48 In a June 2021 report from the New York State Health Foundation, approximately 20 percent of Hispanic adults and 12 percent of Black adults reported that their households accessed free meals or groceries, compared to 8 percent of Asian adults and 4 percent of White adults in March 2021.49

As the NYC economy grows, many New Yorkers are still struggling with hunger and food insecurity. This is especially prevalent among Black and Hispanic residents, who have not seen the same level of economic recovery as their White neighbors.50 In March 2021, households of color reported more losses in employment and income than White households.51

Furthermore, NYC’s 59 unique neighborhoods are vibrant and racially, religiously, and culturally diverse, meaning that different neighborhoods and groups have different food needs, many of which were not met by the programs city agencies offered. In order to find culturally appropriate food, many New Yorkers had to rely on local mutual aid networks and community-based organizations rather than turning to city programs. While these grassroots efforts are valuable, they are unsustainable as a long-term solution to hunger and food insecurity. City agencies should communicate more effectively with these groups and use their insights in order to better tailor food relief efforts to the needs of particular households and communities.

What’s Been Done to Alleviate Hunger and Food Insecurity in New York City, and What Still Needs to be Done

Many programs and organizations emerged as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic to help the New Yorkers most in need. Some emergency food relief programs and initiatives that began as a result of the pandemic have become permanent parts of the New York food system, which will help alleviate hunger and food insecurity for more communities long-term.

When schools closed in March of 2020, the NYC Department of Education moved quickly to provide take-out meals to ensure that the students who relied on school meals were not left hungry.52 Despite this effort, however, the total number of meals distributed at schools in 2020 was significantly lower than pre-pandemic levels.53 These take-out meals are still available at all schools and recipients are not required to provide any registration, identification or documentation. Furthermore, community members in need (who are not students or family of students) can also go to specific schools to pick up meals without any registration or identification.54 With schools closing for summer break, however, hunger and food insecurity may increase in communities that rely on these meals. Grab-and-go community meals will still be available during the summer months,55 but outreach must be done to ensure that communities know about the places where they can get the meals. Historically, summer meal participation has been low in New York City.56 We need to explore creative solutions to ensure that no student or community member goes hungry.57

As previously mentioned, beginning March of 2020, NYC launched GetFoodNYC, a food delivery program for residents who could not acquire food on their own.58 One year after the program began, the city had delivered more than 200 million meals to New Yorkers in need.59 However, the program was not without its problems: numerous complaints were filed about the quality of the food delivered.60, 61 Some people thought that the food was inequitably distributed between communities, as some recipients were given high quality meals, while others received boxes full of snack foods.62 Furthermore, in the summer of 2020, NYC’s GetFoodNYC program changed their enrollment procedures, which caused difficulty accessing the program for many of the City’s less-than-tech-savvy seniors.63

One of the most successful programs has been the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT), which began in 2020 as a response to the pandemic school closures that swept across the country. Students regularly eligible for free or reduced-price meals under the National School Lunch Act, but who were not attending in-person school for five consecutive days, were provided with EBT cards loaded with temporary emergency nutrition benefits.64 According to the NY Times, “The program, which delivers $880 million to New York State, was paid for by the federal government, a result of the economic relief package passed by Congress in the earliest phases of the coronavirus outbreak. The sum of $420 was meant to equal the cost of meals that a child would have received in the spring had school been open.”65 Additionally, an additional $1320 in food benefits to cover missed school meals might be sent to NYC Public School families.66,67

New York State was approved to operate P-EBT for the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years,68 but has not yet received approval to fund a P-EBT program for the summer of 2021.

Nourish New York, an initiative announced by Governor Andrew Cuomo in April 2020,69 connects surplus food from New York farms with state residents experiencing hunger and food insecurity. The initiative purchases the food from farmers and delivers it to food banks across the state. In May 2021, the New York state legislature unanimously passed a bill to make Nourish New York permanent, which will support farmers while improving food security in urban and rural areas.70 This program is vital to promoting the success of New York-grown produce while also encouraging statewide connections between food producers and consumers.

Food pantries in NYC received an emergency $25 million from the city in April 2020,71 but these funds ran out by the end of the year. Activists called on the Mayor’s office to renew the funding in 2021,72 but this renewal has not happened. However, in June 2021, the USDA announced funding for the country’s food bank network that would include money to support local, regional, and socially disadvantaged farmers in order to address racial inequality in the country’s food system.73 In order to alleviate hunger, policy must acknowledge and actively confront the racial and socioeconomic disparities that already exist.

We applaud City agencies, community organizations, and residents for their quick response to the food crisis exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, we must now reflect on what happened and review mistakes made in order to see how we can do better for the people of NYC going forward. We must create strategies to eliminate hunger, food insecurity, and diet-related disease and give people the basic human right to healthy food for every meal.

Hunger, food insecurity, food justice, and reducing diet-related disease should be amongst the top issues in the next mayoral election and a key priority for the next mayor. In fact, we suggest creating a new position in the City Hall team — a Deputy Mayor for Food and Water, who would be responsible for hunger and food insecurity initiatives, diet-related chronic disease reduction, and coordination of these programs across agencies and communities. He or she would be a crucial public presence to demonstrate to New Yorkers that the City is prepared to meet the needs of its most vulnerable residents and ensure the right to healthy and nutritious food for all.

Every New Yorker deserves access to healthy, affordable food. And when food insecurity, hunger, and diet-related disease persist, the city government needs to intervene in order to make sure that no New Yorker ever has to think: “Where is my next meal coming from?” 

Recommendations

  1. Simplify Enrollment Processes for Public Assistance Programs: Streamline the process for eligible New Yorkers to receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) benefits.
  2. Continue to Serve Meals while Providing Transparency: The City reports that it provided more than 200 million meals to NYC residents in need during the pandemic. We need to know where those funds came from and how they were allocated. These meals significantly reduced hunger and food insecurity, and we need to know what they cost and how they were distributed. 
  3. Monitor Food Prices: Track food prices (especially produce and basic necessities) throughout the five boroughs monthly and report those results to ensure that food prices are kept fair and affordable and that there is no price gouging and proper incentives can be offered (e.g. tax incentives and programs such as Get the Good Stuff). 
  4. Increase and Expand Emergency Food Funding: The City allocated funds to a very small number of major emergency food providers during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. It could be beneficial to allocate those funds to a greater number of smaller providers (e.g. small food pantries, faith-based food relief efforts, mutual aid groups) throughout the city, particularly in neighborhoods that are experiencing high rates of food insecurity and are farther away from the City’s larger food pantries.
  5. Improve Communication about Food Resources: The lack of coordination among and communication about available food resources slowed and stymied food distribution efforts to NYC residents in need. Information about openings and closings of food pantries and retail food outlets, and about the availability of emergency food is not centralized in one easy-to-access location. The City needs to create a detailed list of emergency food options, including a map of all food distributed (e.g., Grab-and-Go sites and home delivered meals/food).
  6. Create a Live Database of Emergency Food Providers’ Inventory: Add each food pantry’s inventory to a live, public database to ensure that food banks, community organizations, and the City are supplementing low inventory and meeting high demand. Keep track of which inventory items are the most in-demand in specific communities and tailor food-relief efforts accordingly.
  7. Examine the Nutritional Profile of Public Emergency Meals: Analyze the nutritional quality and the proportion of “healthy” and “unhealthy foods” offered by emergency food providers and institutional food programs.
  8. Allocate Additional Funds to Programs that Improve Access to Nutritious Food: Further expand the City’s Health Bucks program and Get the Good Stuff Program beyond the $5.5 million grant announced on March 12th, 2021.
  9. Create a More Dignified Approach to Accessing Emergency Food: Improve methods that provide those in need of food with a more dignified experience (e.g. expand Plentiful’s online appointment system to other emergency food sources).
  10. Improve Use of Online SNAP Benefits: Require food delivery services such as Fresh Direct, Amazon Fresh, Instacart, and Target to accept SNAP benefits and set up an office to assist residents living in marginalized communities with online food purchases and problems they may have obtaining healthy food. 
  11. Continue to Provide Funding to Food Relief Organizations so They Can Secure Nutritious and Varied Foods For New Yorkers In Need: Help emergency food-relief organizations and programs connect to sustainable funding sources to allow those who are food insecure to access nutritious food.
  12. Conduct Surveys and Research Into Hunger and Food Insecurity Rates Among the Various Communities of NYC: We need to get an accurate picture of how many New Yorkers were negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in order to design appropriate, targeted interventions.
    • Include geographic and demographic information in reports that will be accessible to the public about hunger and food insecurity during the pandemic.
  13. Appoint a Deputy Mayor for Food and Water: This individual will have a thorough understanding of the food needs of different New York City populations and will be the face of the food system for New Yorkers.
    • Provide adequate funding and staff to the Office of Food Policy so the city can better meet the needs of the people.
  14. Increase the Number of Fruit and Vegetable Carts: Expand the City’s Green Carts program, especially in underserved areas, by easing restrictions and streamlining the application process. Ensure that existing Green Cart vendors are allowing the use of EBT cards. Allow other fruit and vegetable vendors that are not part of the Green Carts program to take EBT funds as well. 
  15. Subsidize Nutritious Food Boxes for NYCHA Housing: Partner with GrowNYC and other food-related community-based organizations to create a nutritious food-box delivery to every single NYCHA resident.
  16. Build Hydroponic and Production Gardens in NYCHA Housing: To improve access to nutritious foods build hydroponic gardens on every NYCHA property
  17. Implement Food Education Programs at All Public Schools: Food education should be woven into schools’ daily core curriculums. 
  18. Improve Access to Nutritious Foods for NYC’s Children: Continue and expand the take-away and back-pack program with nutritious food for students; expand hours for school meal access; provide dinner meals; provide extensive and easy-to-access summer meals; provide healthier options in school vending machines; increase awareness among parents about free school meals through improved public communication, and create produce bags/boxes from school gardens that students and families can take home to promote and encourage healthy eating at home.
  19. Build Hydroponic and School Production Gardens in Every Public School: According to the USDA, when students have access to a garden, whether it’s a big garden or a little garden, they are more likely to make healthy eating choices both at school and at home. Children’s eating habits are formed at a young age, and the more kids eat a variety of nutritious foods, the more likely they will be to continue eating these foods throughout their life. 

References

[1] Definitions of Food Security. USDA. https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/definitions-of-food-security.aspx. Accessed June 24, 2020. 
[2] Definitions of Food Security. USDA. https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/definitions-of-food-security.aspx. Accessed June 24, 2020.
[3] Hunger in NYC. City Harvest. https://www.cityharvest.org/food-insecurity/. Accessed June 23, 2021.
[4] Continuing Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Food Scarcity in New York. NYS Health. https://nyshealthfoundation.org/resource/continuing-impact-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-on-food-scarcity-in-new-york/#employment-income-loss-overall. Published June 1, 2021.
[5] Trinidad A, Camden H, Coleman A. Improving Access to Food Systems Among Communities of Color: A Food Justice Issue. Center to Advance Racial Equity, Portland State University. https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/18004. Published April 2015.
[6] Nittle N. People of Color are at Greater Risk of COVID-19. Systemic Racism in the Food System Plays a Role. Civil Eats. https://civileats.com/2020/05/05/people-of-color-are-at-greater-risk-of-covid-19-systemic-racism-in-the-food-system-plays-a-role/. Published May 5, 2020.
[7] Hunger and Health. Feeding America. https://www.feedingamerica.org/research/hunger-and-health-research. Accessed June 23, 2021.
[8] Sanyaolu A, Okorie C, Marinkovic A, Patidar R, Younis K, Desai P, Hosein Z, Padda I, Mangat J, Altaf M. Comorbidity and its Impact on Patients with COVID-19. SN Comprehensive Clinical Medicine 2. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42399-020-00363-4. Published June 25, 2020.
[9] The Impact of the Coronavirus on Food insecurity in 2020 & 2021. Feeding America. https://www.feedingamerica.org/sites/default/files/2021-03/National%20Projections%20Brief_3.9.2021_0.pdf. Published March 2021.
[10] Olson C. Nutrition and Health Outcomes Associated with Food Insecurity and Hunger. The Journal of Nutrition 129(2). https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/129.2.521S. Published February 1999.
[11] Weinreb L, Wehler C, Perloff J, Scott R, Hosmer D, Sagor L, Gundersen C. Hunger: its impact on children’s health and mental health. Pediatrics 110(4). https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.110.4.e41. Published October 2002.
[12] Byfield E. All NYC Public School Students Are Now Eligible for Free Lunches. NBC New York. https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/universal-free-lunch-new-york-city/266939/. Published September 6, 2017.
[13] Schwartz A, Rothbart M. Let Them Eat Lunch: The Impact of Universal Free Meals on Student Performance. Syracuse University Maxwell School Center for Policy Research. https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/uploadedFiles/cpr/publications/working_papers2/wp203.pdf. Published July 2019.
[14] Hunger in NYC. City Harvest. https://www.cityharvest.org/food-insecurity/. Accessed June 23, 2021.
[15] Stewart N, Heisler T. 1.5 Million New Yorkers Can’t Afford Food. Pantries Are Their Lifeline. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/10/20/nyregion/nyc-food-banks.html. Published October 20, 2020.
[16] Mann B. In New York City, 2 Million Residents Face Food Insecurity, Officials Say. NPR. https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/05/21/860312565/in-new-york-city-2-million-residents-face-food-insecurity-officials-say. Published May 21, 2020.
[17] Wilkins J. Challenges and Opportunities Created by the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior 52 (7). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2020.05.005. Published May 21, 2020.
[18] Bauer L. The COVID-19 crisis has already left too many children hungry in America. Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2020/05/06/the-covid-19-crisis-has-already-left-too-many-children-hungry-in-america/. Published May 6, 2020.
[19] NY Food 20/20: Visions, Research, and Recommendations during COVID-19 and Beyond. The Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center, The Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food, Education & Policy, and The CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute. https://www.nycfoodpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/ny2020-finalv2.pdf. Published October 2020.
[20] New Yorkers Don’t Live Single-Issue Lives: The Intersections of Hunger. Food Bank For New York City. https://1giqgs400j4830k22r3m4wqg-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/Intersections-of-Hunger_NYC-Hunger-Conference-Report_02.13.20.pdf. Published February 2020.
[21] Fighting More than COVID19: Unmasking the State of Hunger in NYC During a Pandemic. Food Bank for New York City. https://www.foodbanknyc.org/fighting-more-than-covid-19/. Accessed June 23, 2020.
[22] NY Food 20/20: Visions, Research, and Recommendations during COVID-19 and Beyond. The Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center, The Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food, Education & Policy, and The CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute. https://www.nycfoodpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/ny2020-finalv2.pdf. Published October 2020.
[23] David G. NYC Lost a Record 631,000 Jobs to the Pandemic in 2020. So What’s Next? The City. https://www.thecity.nyc/economy/2021/3/14/22326414/nyc-lost-record-jobs-to-pandemic-unemployment. Published March 14, 2021.
[24] Darmanjian S. NY’s unemployment rate rebounding to almost pre-pandemic levels. News10. https://www.news10.com/news/nys-unemployment-rate-rebounding-to-almost-pre-pandemic-levels/. Published May 27, 2021.
[25] State Labor Department Releases Preliminary May 2021 Area Unemployment Rates. New York State Department of Labor.https://dol.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2021/06/state-labor-department-releases-preliminary-may-2021-area-unemployment-rates.pdf. Published June 22, 2021.
[26] The Employment Situation — May 2021. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Department of Labor. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf.
[27] From Paycheck to Pantry: Hunger in Working America. Feeding America and Oxfam America. https://www.feedingamerica.org/sites/default/files/research/hunger-in-working-america/from-paycheck-to-pantry.pdf. Published November 18, 2014.
[28] From Paycheck to Pantry: Hunger in Working America. Feeding America and Oxfam America. https://www.feedingamerica.org/sites/default/files/research/hunger-in-working-america/from-paycheck-to-pantry.pdf. Published November 18, 2014.
[29] Lewis C, Jeffrey-Wilensky J. Widespread Hunger Persists Even As New York’s Economy Recovers. Gothamist. https://gothamist.com/food/widespread-hunger-persists-even-as-new-yorks-economy-recovers. Published June 8, 2021.
[30] USDA Announces Coronavirus Food Assistance Program. USDA. https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2020/04/17/usda-announces-coronavirus-food-assistance-program. Published April 17, 2020.
[31] New York State Announces $880 Million in Temporary Food Assistance for New York’s School Children. New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance. https://otda.ny.gov/news/2020/2020-05-12.asp. Published May 12, 2020.
[32] Durkin E. NYC launches $170M plan to combat hunger, urges grocery stores to require masks. Politico. https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/albany/story/2020/04/15/nyc-launches-170m-plan-to-combat-hunger-urges-grocery-stores-to-require-masks-1276463. Published April 15, 2020.
[33] Marsh J. Free meals meant for NYC’s needy left at wrong address — since May. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2020/07/29/free-city-meals-meant-for-needy-left-at-wrong-address-since-may/. Published July 29, 2020.
[34] Demanding Answers: NYC’s COVID-19 Program Accused Of Delivering Spoiled Food, Items With No Nutrition Value. CBS New York. https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2020/05/18/demanding-answers-nycs-covid-19-program-accused-of-delivering-spoiled-food-items-with-no-nutrition-value/. Published May 18, 2020.
[35] Blau R. Food-Insecure New Yorkers Seek More Meal Deliveries From City. The City. https://www.thecity.nyc/2021/1/13/22230215/food-insecure-new-yorkers-seek-more-meal-deliveries-from-the-city. Published January 13, 2021.
[36] Margolies J, Strauss A. Hunger Is Worsening. Here Are 7 Ways New Yorkers Are Addressing It. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/11/nyregion/coronavirus-hunger-relief-nyc.html. Published July 11, 2020.
[37] Lerner S. “We Need Protein”: Coronavirus Pandemic Deepens New York’s Hunger Crisis. The Intercept. https://theintercept.com/2020/06/16/coronavirus-hunger-crisis-nyc/. Published June 16, 2020.
[38] Rates of Food Insecurity Remain High Despite Expansion of New York City Food Assistance Programs. CUNY School of Public Health. https://sph.cuny.edu/life-at-sph/news/2020/10/14/food-insecurity-covid-release/. Published October 14, 2020.
[39] Lewis C, Jeffrey-Wilensky J. Widespread Hunger Persists Even As New York’s Economy Recovers. Gothamist. https://gothamist.com/food/widespread-hunger-persists-even-as-new-yorks-economy-recovers. Published June 8, 2021.
[40] Nargi L. New research highlights a shifting priority at food banks: tackling the root causes of food insecurity. The Counter. https://thecounter.org/new-research-shifting-priority-food-banks-covid-19/. Published June 8, 2021.
[41] Reeves R, Rothwell J. Class and COVID: How the less affluent face double risks. Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2020/03/27/class-and-covid-how-the-less-affluent-face-double-risks/. Published March 27, 2020.
[42] Miranda L. How the coronavirus has widened the chasm between rich and poor. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/how-coronavirus-has-widened-chasm-between-rich-poor-n1240622. Published September 24, 2020.
[43] Feller M. Healthy Food Is a Right for Black People, Not a Privilege. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/nutrition/black-communities-need-access-to-healthy-food. Published October 12, 2020.
[44] Azétsop J, Joy T. Access to nutritious food, socioeconomic individualism and public health ethics in the USA: a common good approach. Azétsop, Jacquineau, and Tisha R Joy. “Access to nutritious food, socioeconomic individualism and public health ethics in the USA: a common good approach.” Philosophy, ethics, and humanities in medicine 8(16). https://dx.doi.org/10.1186%2F1747-5341-8-16. Published October 29, 2013.
[45] Tracy. Food Apartheid: The Silent Killer in the Black Community. Atlanta Black Star. https://atlantablackstar.com/2015/06/16/food-apartheid-the-silent-killer-in-the-black-community/. Published June 16, 2015.
[46] Brones A. Karen Washington: It’s Not a Food Desert, It’s Food Apartheid. Guernica. https://www.guernicamag.com/karen-washington-its-not-a-food-desert-its-food-apartheid/. Published May 7, 2018.
[47] Tracy. Food Apartheid: The Silent Killer in the Black Community. Atlanta Black Star. https://atlantablackstar.com/2015/06/16/food-apartheid-the-silent-killer-in-the-black-community/. Published June 16, 2015.
[48] Food apartheid: Racialized access to healthy affordable food. Natural Resources Defence Council and Nation of Change. https://www.nationofchange.org/2021/04/07/food-apartheid-racialized-access-to-healthy-affordable-food/. April 7, 2021.
[49] Continuing Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Food Scarcity in New York. NYS Health. https://nyshealthfoundation.org/resource/continuing-impact-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-on-food-scarcity-in-new-york/#employment-income-loss-overall. Published June 1, 2021.
[50] Lewis C, Jeffrey-Wilensky J. Widespread Hunger Persists Even As New York’s Economy Recovers. Gothamist. https://gothamist.com/food/widespread-hunger-persists-even-as-new-yorks-economy-recovers. Published June 8, 2021.
[51] Continuing Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Food Scarcity in New York. NYS Health. https://nyshealthfoundation.org/resource/continuing-impact-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-on-food-scarcity-in-new-york/#employment-income-loss-overall. Published June 1, 2021.
[52] Shapiro E. New York City Public Schools to Close to Slow Spread of Coronavirus. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/15/nyregion/nyc-schools-closed.html. Published March 15, 2020.
[53] Zimmerman A. NYC schools served 96 million fewer meals to children amid the pandemic, new data show. Chalkbeat. https://ny.chalkbeat.org/2021/6/2/22465642/nyc-school-food-hunger-grab-go-pandemic. Published June 2, 2021.
[54] Community Meals. NYC Department of Education. https://www.schools.nyc.gov/school-life/food/community-meals. Accessed June 24, 2021.
[55] Free meals for New Yorkers this summer. Access NYC. https://access.nyc.gov/programs/community-meals/. Accessed June 24, 2021.
[56] Zimmerman A. NYC schools served 96 million fewer meals to children amid the pandemic, new data show. Chalkbeat. https://ny.chalkbeat.org/2021/6/2/22465642/nyc-school-food-hunger-grab-go-pandemic. Published June 2, 2021.
[57] Fu J, Kang J. 30 million children rely on free school lunch. Where do they eat when school’s out? The Counter. https://thecounter.org/summer-hunger-new-york-city/. Published July 3, 2018.
[58] New Program Helps New Yorkers Who Cannot Afford Food Delivery. Downtown Alliance. https://downtownny.com/news/getfoodnyc-food-deliveries-sign-up/. Published March 25, 2020.
[59]  City distributes 200 million meals through GetFoodNYC emergency programs. Amsterdam News. https://amsterdamnews.com/news/2021/feb/18/city-distributes-200-million-meals-through-getfood/. Published February 18, 2021.
[60] Demanding Answers: NYC’s COVID-19 Program Accused Of Delivering Spoiled Food, Items With No Nutrition Value. CBS New York. https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2020/05/18/demanding-answers-nycs-covid-19-program-accused-of-delivering-spoiled-food-items-with-no-nutrition-value/. Published May 18, 2020.
[61] Blau R. Food-Insecure New Yorkers Seek More Meal Deliveries From City. The City. https://www.thecity.nyc/2021/1/13/22230215/food-insecure-new-yorkers-seek-more-meal-deliveries-from-the-city. Published January 13, 2021.
[62] Todd A. Snacks And “Gourmet Salads”: The Wide Variety Of Meals Offered By NYC’s Food Program. Gothamist. https://gothamist.com/food/snacks-and-gourmet-salads-wide-variety-meals-offered-nycs-food-program. Published May 24, 2020.
[63] Blau R. City Food Delivery Changes Could Be Leaving Many Seniors Hungry. The City. https://www.thecity.nyc/2020/8/25/21401772/city-food-delivery-changes-senior-citizens. Published August 25, 2020.
[64] State Guidance on Coronavirus P-EBT. USDA. https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/state-guidance-coronavirus-pandemic-ebt-pebt. Accessed June 24, 2021.
[65] Why Giving Food Stamps to the Rich Is Not a Terrible Idea. NY Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/18/nyregion/coronavirus-food-stamps-nyc-schools.html. Accessed June 25, 2021.
[66] NYC Public School Families to Get Up to $1,320 Per Child in Food Help. The City. https://www.thecity.nyc/2021/6/14/22534040/nyc-public-school-families-get-food-relief-money. Accessed June 25, 2021.
[67] Frequently Asked Questions for the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) Food Benefits. Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance. https://otda.ny.gov/SNAP-COVID-19/Frequently-Asked-Questions-Pandemic-EBT.asp. Accessed June 25, 2021.
[68] New York: COVID-19 Waivers & Flexibilities. USDA. https://www.fns.usda.gov/disaster/pandemic/covid-19/new-york#snap. Accessed June 24, 2021.
[69] Nourish New York. New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. https://agriculture.ny.gov/NourishNY. Accessed June 24, 2021.
[70] Siegal C. NY bill passes to establish permanent ‘Nourish New York’ program. News10. https://www.news10.com/news/ny-capitol-news/ny-bill-passes-to-establish-permanent-nourish-new-york-program/. Published May 28, 2021.
[71] Shahrigian S. Mayor de Blasio touts $25 million in emergency food funding during visit to Brooklyn pantry. NY Daily News. https://www.nydailynews.com/coronavirus/ny-coronavirus-new-york-city-pantries-bill-de-blasio-20200414-ygfwtbplxjcuhnulxzf2rxd3ui-story.html. Published April 14, 2020.
[72] Shahrigian S. Mayor de Blasio urged to renew $25 million emergency funding for NYC food pantries. NY Daily News. https://www.nydailynews.com/coronavirus/ny-covid-nyc-food-pantry-funding-de-blasio-20210118-ah4flendabajbjzj3dy5tltdmy-story.html. Published January 18, 2021.
[73] USDA to Invest $1 Billion to Purchase Healthy Food for Food Insecure Americans and Build Food Bank Capacity. USDA. https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2021/06/04/usda-invest-1-billion-purchase-healthy-food-food-insecure-americans. Published June 4, 2021.

Photo credit: Food Bank for New York City

 

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