Christopher Walljasper

CHICAGO, (Reuters) – Sofia Suarez was a Chicago-based receptionist in a Chicago dental office. She was absent for three months during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She hasn’t seen a significant increase in her income since then, nearly a year and half after she quit working. She is faced with rising food prices and mounting bills. Every month, she visits the Lakeview Food Pantry in Chicago.

Suarez (38), said that he only has a few dollars to pay rent and bills.

Suarez was one of more than 4,000,000 Americans who were “underemployed” in October by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics.

The sharpest hunger pangs were felt by Americans of low- and middle income as the U.S. economy exploded from its lockdown in 2020. Ironically, the hunger pangs have persisted for many despite the fact that nearly 12,000,000 Americans were lifted out of poverty by the massive amounts of federal money used in the crisis.

    There is abundant evidence that the job market is recovering rapidly – with roughly one-and-a-half vacant jobs for every unemployed worker. However, rising wages are just beginning to attract more Americans to work. Inflation has seen the price of food for personal consumption increase by 6.4% over the past year.

The latest U.S. Census Bureau Pulse Survey found that 19.8 million American households felt food insecure over the two week period. The survey shows 8% of U.S. households faced hunger pre pandemic, a figure that peaked at 14% last December and was still elevated at 9% in October 2021.

Only the lowest-income households (those earning less than $25,000 annually) are included in the calculation. 27% said they did not have enough food to eat, as opposed to 23% who reported it before the pandemic.

Direct stimulus checks, increased unemployment benefits, assistance with emergency rentals, and food stamp increases were some of the federal pandemic relief programs. However, these programs can prove difficult to use.

Suarez said that her husband tried to sign up for unemployment insurance but got frustrated so she and her husband decided to cut back on spending and do what they could with the money.

Family members with children are eligible for higher benefits than Suarez. This includes advanced child tax credit, greater access to school meals and pandemic EBT debit card to help pay for student meals at home.

However, families are finding it more difficult to pay their grocery bills due to rising food costs. The United Nations reports that world food prices rose in November for the fourth consecutive month, putting them at an all-time high of 10 years.

“The price of peanut butter, jelly, chips and meat has gone up. Terrence Holloway said that there is no place to buy cheap peanutbutter jelly, jelly, chips or meat. He was disabled from an accident. Holloway (41), has turned to Chicago food pantries whenever his grocery money is low, which seems to be more frequently each month.

Food pantries working to end hunger are under increasing pressure due to rising food prices. They are now able to help people access federal and state assistance programs, in addition to providing food.

BENEFITS CLIFF

Political will to renew U.S. food aid is at risk as U.S. Emergency Aid expires. Newest version of $1.8 trillion’s “Build Back better” budget package provides funding for school meals all year and extends the child tax credit. The bill does not increase federal food purchasing for local pantries. This has been a vital lifeline to food banks for the past year. Due to the high price, it faces resistance and could face further cuts.

American workers took many years to overcome the previous major recession that preceded the COVID-19 collapse.

Geri Hennech, director nutrition policy, Food Research and Action Center and anti-hunger advocate, said that cutting too early aid could cause a second round of food insecurity. This is similar to what happened just over a decade ago.

She stated that she believes that people will be more likely to become hardened and not turn the water off too soon, leading to significant food insecurity increases. The pandemic is not over. It’s not normal for people to return to their old lives. That is why we need to address the benefits cliff.”

After the 2008 recession ended, hunger rates rose after extended unemployment benefits and federal stimulus. According to U.S. Department of Agriculture’s annual report on food security, hunger rates didn’t return to their pre-recession levels before 2019.

Doris Rodriguez was a bank worker who helped her grandchild raise him. She experienced a slow climb out from financial instability. After the 2008 recession, she faced unemployment and was forced to foreclose on her Chicago house. She says that since then she’s struggled with financial security.

According to her, it’s been difficult for them since the recession. “I have never been able to find a job that I can sustain my own income without assistance.

Rodriguez quit her bank job over a year before the pandemic. Rodriguez tried to find federal and local assistance, but her rent and utilities bills were mounting, so she went to St. Cyprian Food Pantry to load a cart full of canned goods, produce bags, and cereal boxes.

While her grandson qualified for free school meals and she was eligible to receive unemployment benefits, it proved difficult to access the state of Illinois.

Luis Lorenzana was a Chicago banquet server and expanded unemployment wasn’t an option. Although he has been working at small events and weddings since the outbreak, he is not eligible for unemployment. Omicron coronavirus has caused more uncertainty, but he is hopeful that events will return to normal before his savings are exhausted. Although they don’t always have all the foods his family prefers, it is a good idea to visit the food pantry.

There is no alternative. He stated that we must survive.