Giving Compass' Take:

• A new study from Northwestern University shows that 40% of Black households and 36% of Hispanic households are food-insecure during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

• How can this research help inform charitable giving strategies? How can funders highlight the racial disparities during this pandemic and direct their dollars accordingly? 

• Learn more about how the pandemic exuberates food inequalities.  

The number of families experiencing food insecurity has hit a record due to the pandemic, and Black and Hispanic families are disproportionately affected.

A new study from Northwestern University, based on Census Bureau data, shows that 40% of Black households and 36% of Hispanic households are struggling to afford food. Meanwhile, about 22% of white households are reporting food insecurity.

“We’re seeing right now that food insecurity is higher than we’ve ever seen it before,” says Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach, Director of the Institute for Policy Research, which conducted the study. “But we’re also seeing the depths of the recession we’re in right now is much worse than anything we’ve seen before.”

Historically, there have been racial discrepancies in families reporting food insecurity. According to Schanzenbach, though, these numbers have spiked to levels never seen before and are undoubtedly linked to the coronavirus pandemic.

Schanzenbach says this research highlights the need for an increase in support for federally-funded food benefit programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, and the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT), which provides money to students who have temporarily lost access to free or reduced-price schools meals.

Read the full article about racial disparities among food insecure families by Dana Cronin at Harvest Public Media.