People are forced to come 12 hours before the distribution of products so that they have enough food.
This was told by the head of the San Antonio Food Bank Eric Cooper in a commentary to Business Insider.
According to him, car lines stretch for many kilometers. If before the epidemic the organization served an average of 60 thousand people a week, now this number has doubled.
“Queues are forming that are longer than I have ever seen in my life. I mean, I just never saw such a demand, ”Cooper says. “The end of the crisis is not visible, just like the end of the line of cars is not visible.”
Feeding America, which includes 60,000 partner warehouses and 200 food banks, including San Antonio Bank, found that the load has grown by 70% since the pandemic. Feeding America estimates that hunger could reach more than 17 million people in the current environment. It is noted that in the queues for a box of free products there are many who have not previously turned to benefactors.
Growing demand entails a natural shortage of food. Products have to be distributed, reducing their number per American. The situation is aggravated by the fact that donations have not increased.
“The number of donations decreased by 40-60%. Food banks have to meet this demand with fewer products, ”says Katy Fitzgerald, vice president of Feeding America.
The fact is that catering establishments that previously donated food are now closed. And even supermarkets cannot do anything, since frightened people empty the shelves.
Eric Cooper noted that there are hopes for government food assistance programs. However, it is difficult to say when they will be launched. According to him, if the trucks of the Ministry of Agriculture arrive at the organization’s warehouses, then, most likely, by mid-summer. “Until then, families need to be fed something,” he stated.