DURHAM, N.C. - Thanksgiving gatherings may be smaller this year, but North Carolinians need access to food more than ever, as the pandemic's economic downturn leaves many households struggling to buy groceries.

Katie-Rose Crater, interim co-director of Farmer Foodshare works with farmers of color, and women and veterans who are farmers in the Durham area, to buy their produce and sell it to communities and schools.

Crater said some farmers are losing up to $1,000 a week, mostly because restaurants aren't buying as much produce. Her organization is filling the gap, purchasing local produce to supply food boxes for COVID patients in need at the Duke Outpatient Clinic.

"We're in a fortunate position to where not only are we supporting those who are having difficulty accessing food during the pandemic," said Crater, "but we're also in a fortunate enough position to be able to invest in the fragile, local farming economy."

The American Heart Association and Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina recently awarded more than $100,000 in community "mini-grants" to several groups, including Farmer Foodshare, working to provide healthy meals to people at risk statewide.

Laura Rice, communications and media manager of the Raleigh-based Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, said its food-bank volunteers continue to deliver to low-income seniors. So far, more than 2,000 seniors receive bags each month, containing up to 10 pounds of fresh produce, shelf-stable items and recipe cards.

But she noted the list of folks in need is growing.

"People who have never had an issue with hunger before are now having to access food through pantries, our mobile markets, our distribution centers," said Rice. "You know, you see the images on the nightly news of the long lines at the food pantries."

Eli Mercuree Rue, director of food systems programs at Seeds NC said her organization is creating culturally appropriate food boxes using local produce. She said the program has benefited Latinx and other immigrant communities in need, as well as local farmers.

"So I can't overlook that part of it at all, you know," said Rue. "The things like how big, it's connected in so many ways, not just to the people receiving the bags, but also to the farmers."

A recent study from North Carolina Central University found 17% of people in the state said they've experienced at least one day without a sufficient food supply in the past week.


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Hunger doesn't retire, yet millions of older Americans struggling to afford food may not realize help is within reach.

Misconceptions and stigma often prevent eligible seniors from accessing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the nation's largest anti-hunger initiative.

However, with simplified application processes and renewed outreach efforts, advocates are working to break down these barriers and connect seniors with the support they need.

Norm Gold - a consultant with Feeding America and an AARP community ambassador - highlighted these challenges and the importance of outreach.

"If it's too much of a pain for them to do it, they don't," said Gold. "Most seniors don't want to have to deal with it, honestly, I'm one of them, I'll be 70, and that's just the way older people are. To make it easy, that's why they've got the simplified application. That's what's made it much easier for them. "

A free webinar tomorrow aims to clear up myths and misconceptions about SNAP benefits, and highlight how the program supports older adults struggling with food insecurity.

The event, titled "SNAP Food Benefit Myths, Rumors and Misconceptions," begins at 1:30 p.m. and is open to everyone who registers at events.aarp.org.

Brian Jacks is associate state director for community outreach at AARP Virginia. He emphasized the benefits of clearing out misconceptions to help encourage more seniors to apply.

"Number one, SNAP is not just for families with children," said Jacks. "Any adult of any age who meets the income requirements is eligible. Secondly, your participation in SNAP will not take the benefit from anyone else who needs it."

To encourage participation, AARP Virginia has worked with food banks and community ambassadors to conduct outreach through health fairs and festivals, distributing materials highlighting SNAP benefits.

People can call 211 to connect with local resources for direct assistance with accessing SNAP benefits.

Colorado is distributing over $2.6 million to food banks and pantries to ensure that the state's one in seven children facing hunger can access nutritious food.

Duane Gurule co-founded the Small Town Project in Rocky Ford, an area famous for its melons.

He said the $45,000 Community Food Grant will help families access a wide variety of fresh foods, including beef from local ranchers.

"Pinto beans, potatoes, eggs, poultry, chilis and tomatoes, asparagus," said Gurule, "of course our melons, Palisade peaches, and Olathe sweet corn."

The grants approved by the state legislature this year aim to help nearly 90 food banks and pantries across the state create local solutions to unique local challenges, in part by boosting local farms and ranches.

The program is administered by the Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger in partnership with the state's Department of Human Services.

Food costs remain stubbornly high in the wake of record grocery chain profits and pandemic-related supply chain disruptions.

Sue Fegelein, executive director of LiftUp of Routt County, said people are also facing rising housing and other costs.

She said the new grant will help more neighbors, many of whom are seeking assistance for the first time, keep their heads above water.

"Our clients are working more than one job, and still unable to make ends meet," said Fegelein. "And things happen where their rent jumps by a thousand dollars when their lease is up, or the cost of child care is as much as a mortgage."

Gurule is also Rocky Ford's mayor.

He said the grant's economic impacts - much like those of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which create $1.50 in economic impacts for every dollar invested - extend beyond the individuals and families being served.

"The Community Food Grant, that's an additional $45,000 coming directly down into this area that wouldn't have otherwise," said Gurule. "So that money is circulating, it's helping keep our local grocers and our local producers in business."



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Rising grocery prices and the end of pandemic-era benefits have left many Virginia families struggling to make ends meet.

A recent poll from No Kid Hungry Virginia highlighted the growing crisis. Among respondents, 78% said groceries have become more challenging to afford over the past year, and 77% of families are just one unexpected expense away from hunger.

Cassie Edner, public benefits attorney at the Virginia Poverty Law Center, said she is not surprised by the poll results.

"The cost of food, over the last how many years have been significantly increasing along with the cost of other things, rent, mortgages, things like that," Edner outlined. "Unfortunately, it makes sense that people are not able to afford their most basic necessities like food."

Virginia's low-income families saw significant relief during the pandemic from programs like the expanded federal Child Tax Credit, which, according to the Food Research and Action Center, reduced hunger among children by nearly one-third. However, with the expiration of the emergency measures, many families are once again vulnerable.

Edner noted potential solutions could include expanding SNAP benefits and the state-level Child Tax Credit. She is a long time advocate of a bill to provide healthy school meals but is looking at other tactics in the upcoming legislative session.

"There's a bill that would expand it to breakfast for all," Edner observed. "More kids would get breakfast in the morning, and that's one less expense that parents would have to worry about."

The survey also found many parents feel the mental strain of food insecurity. The Virginia Poverty Law Center provides resources like a SNAP calculator to help families determine their eligibility for benefits, and advocates hope the upcoming General Assembly session will prioritize policies addressing food insecurity.


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