What’s for Christmas dinner? Well, for too many Americans, the pantry is bare

Six days a week, the Above & Beyond Food Pantry in Chicago’s West Garfield Park neighborhood opens its doors to community members who need extra help.

Its food distributions consistently serve more than 100 guests a day.

On a recent visit to his local food pantry, single dad Brian Carroll hoped to pick up something festive to serve his two children, ages 11 and 15, for the holidays. The three do their best to get by on Carroll’s fixed income.

Hunger is on the rise across the nation

Food insecurity and the need for food remains elevated nationwide. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Household Food Security Report released in October, 1 in 8 U.S. households (17 million households) experienced food insecurity last year, significantly higher than the 10.2% recorded in 2021 (13.5 million households). The last time it was this high was in 2015, as families were slowly recovering from the Great Recession.

The reality is even more severe for households with children: Food insecurity jumped from 12.5% in 2021 to 17.3% last year.

Black and Hispanic households are much more likely to face food insecurity than white (non-hispanic) households, with 22.4% of Black households and 20.8% of Hispanic households experiencing food insecurity compared with 9.3% of white households.

As a result, more and more families are turning to food pantries like Above & Beyond for the first time. The pantry recently added Saturday to its schedule of food distributions to meet the increase in demand.

The increase in pantry visits is due to the lingering effects of a global health crisis, inflation, elevated food prices and the rollback of crucial pandemicera public assistance such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps.

Expanded SNAP benefits would help

The solution to hunger is in front of us. Data has shown that the safety net works. Expanded SNAP benefits and pandemic electronic benefits transfer lifted millions of families out of food insecurity during 2020 and 2021.

This is why it’s imperative that Congress and the White House invest in federal nutrition programs, especially SNAP and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children – not reduce them as some proposals are suggesting.

The time to protect and strengthen SNAP is in the new year, when Congress resumes farm bill discussions.

Food insecurity exists year-round, not just during the holidays. The holiday season is such a special time of the year – a time when most of us gather with family and friends to enjoy a celebratory meal. Everyone deserves that opportunity, although not everyone can.

Kate Maehr is executive director and CEO of the Greater Chicago Food Depository and a board member of Feeding America.