How many have gone hungry during the pandemic?
Poverty | Experts disagree about the extent of food insecurity and the success of welfare expansions
by Charissa Koh
Posted 2/24/21, 04:46 pm
On an average Saturday morning twice a month, 30 to 50 families used to show up at the food pantry at Eternal Faith Baptist Church in Manor, Texas. They browsed the fellowship hall or pick up prepacked bags filled with beans, rice, pasta, cereal, and cans of meats, fruits, and vegetables. In the spring of 2020, that number jumped to 80 or 100, said Sheila Matthews, who leads the church’s food pantry ministry. It switched to a drive-thru format, and Matthews said that at first Eternal Faith was the only area church with a food pantry.