Limited access to food is not what first comes to mind when we think about our county but, in our population of over 1 million, 115,000 people are considered food insecure. The USDA defines food insecurity as lacking consistent access to enough food for an active healthy life. The number of residents affected has increased 37% since the pandemic began with 41,000 children impacted. (Gundersen, C., M. Hake, A. Dewey, E. Engelhard (2020). The Impact of the Coronavirus on Food Insecurity in 2020, Update October 2020 [Data file and FAQ]. Available from Feeding America: research@feedingamerica.org).
The Impact of the Coronavirus on Food Insecurity in 2020
1,000,000+ Population of Montgomery County
114,930 food insecure residents in October 2020 (up from 83,700 in 2018)
52% increase in children affected by food insecurity from 2018 to 2020
“Food insecurity is currently being experienced by more residents in our community than ever before. So many of our neighbors are feeling the instability caused by the health crises in so many ways. It is incumbent upon us to provide culturally appropriate food to those in need.”
-Sidney Katz, Councilman, MC Council
