With the federal health emergency nearing its end in mid-May, low-income Marylanders are still struggling with food insecurity and the costs of everyday household items, according to a statewide hunger-relief non-profit.
“Between inflation and the end of government pandemic emergency aid, the need for food assistance in Maryland remains high as the rates of food affordability, financial hardship, and food insufficiency continue to trend upward across all income groups,” according to a press release from the Maryland Food Bank.
According to the Maryland Food Bank, 36% of Maryland families surveyed reported that their children were sometimes not eating enough due to the cost of food, which is 12% higher than the previous month. This data comes from an analysis of the Household Pulse Survey data from the U.S. Census as of April 19.
Food insufficiencies have risen drastically among low-income and struggling families. Between March and April, the percent of families with incomes between $35,000 to $50,000 that reported struggling with food insecurity increased from 33% to 56%.
Similarly, the share of families earning between $50,000 to $70,000 experiencing food insecurity increased from 6% in March to 26% in April.
In addition, the percent of Marylanders reporting financial hardship, meaning the ability to pay for usual household expenses, has gone up from 36% in March to 38% in April, according to the Maryland Food Bank analysis.
“For so much of the last three years, Marylanders were able to rely on emergency aid from the government to get through the pandemic, but now that those programs have expired and costs for everything continue to rise, we’re seeing the true prevalence of hunger in our state,” Carmen Del Guercio, president and CEO of Maryland Food Bank, said in a written statement.
The press release points to the end of a temporary boost for people using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP benefits), as a factor for continuing food insecurity and unaffordability.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service, people using SNAP benefits, also known as food stamps, received additional support throughout the COVID pandemic. But those emergency allotments ended in February, even as inflation remains a concern for the country.
On April 18, Gov. Wes Moore (D) announced that the Maryland Department of Agriculture received $6.1 million through a federal grant to distribute out to food banks, with the goal of providing fresh food from local Maryland farmers to those in need, WTOP reported.
Michael J. Wilson, director of Maryland Hunger Solutions, thinks that there are additional ways to help low-income Marylanders get affordable food.
“I think that is helpful. It’s a step in the right direction,” Wilson said. “I think what we really need to do is look at the opportunity to do more on the supplemental benefits. Maryland provides a supplemental benefit for some SNAP recipients… we need to make sure we can put dollars on people’s SNAP cards, because that will give them the choice and the ability to buy more food, and that will also help our entire food system.”
By Danielle J. Brown
Reed Fawell 3 says
“According to the Maryland Food Bank, 36% of Maryland families surveyed reported that their children were sometimes not eating enough due to the cost of food, which is 12% higher than the previous month.”
One solution is to vote out of office those in power today who are printing vast amounts of new dollars to fund vastly expensive new programs that serve only destroy the value of the peoples’ dollars in order to buy ever more votes from their political base and create a dysfunctional electorate that is ever more dependent on today’s ever more powerful, irresponsible, lawless and out of control central government.
This article’s title and its suggested solutions tells us much about the racket going on many state governments today working in tandem with our federal government to addict their citizens to state control.
Julie Lowe says
Current SNAP benefits are totally insufficient…one person receives $121 per month, or $4 per day. Who can provide meals for their family at $4 per person per day??? We definitely need to supplement this benefit.
Pam Brooks says
I receive $1200.00 a month from SSA. When I received the extra money from the state for Covid, I received $280 a month. After the extra money stopped, I receive $23.00. Because of this, I rely on my local food bank.
Reed Fawell 3 says
I do not doubt the truth of Julie and Pam’s statements. They raise several questions or concerns. Here are few. Our Nation’s debt Federal Debt has doubled in the last 10 years. Today it is five times larger than it was 20 years ago, and it is increasing every year at an ever larger rate.
Where has all that money gone? No one seems to know. Vast amounts of COVID debt is said to be paid to states who have still not paid it out to its intended recipients, and is still held by those state governments, but no one knows how much money all this is or exactly where it is.
Equally large or larger amounts of other monies are said to have been paid out to wrong people and/ or stolen, and unrecoverable. Now, too, its being estimated by some that over 5 million unemployed, penniless emigrants will cross out southern border with Mexico this year alone. Who is going to feed and care for them, as well the 4 million who have come since last Pres. election?
These are problems our government never solves, but covers over and increases by printing ever more dollars. Sounds like our government has become a Ponzi and money laundering scheme, not to mention a human trafficking operation. That is one reason why today at several roadside restaurants in or around Annapolis Md, you can’t find a sandwich for sale for lunch for less than $20.
Deirdre LaMotte says
First of all, glad you are critical of Trump spiking the debt with his tax cuts for those who need a tax increase. And so glad you even acknowledge the need for Covid relief . Good for you!
As for the millions coming over the border fleeing conditions we would not want our dogs to experience,
what are your ideas? A border wall that reaches the Karman line? Would that be high enough?
This is an international refugee problem that deserves all people coming to the table to help. Not
political hacks trying to score for Fox, or whatever other weird “news” source.
Holly says
I think the state should have left the money on the peoples snap card that need it cause food is so high now ans people are struggling.
Karen Souders says
How can you live on $40 a month for 2 people??totally ridiculous…