RALEIGH, N.C. -- Más de $1 millón en subvenciones para la COVID-19 están ayudando a organizaciones rurales a aumentar su enfoque en la ayuda alimentaria de origen local.

Merry Davis es directora de alimentos saludables de la Fundación Blue Cross and Blue Shield de Carolina del Norte, cuyos más de $1 millón en subvenciones para la COVID-19 en conjunto con The Conservation Fund se enfocaron en condados no urbanos. Ella dice que las regiones rurales continúan enfrentando grandes desafíos.

"Muchas de estas comunidades rurales son áreas agrícolas de alto rendimiento y muchas de estas organizaciones se están asociando con granjas pequeñas y medianas para proporcionar alimentos locales, por lo que no solo proporcionan alimentos a las personas, sino que también apoyan a los agricultores locales", comentó también Davis.

La necesidad de alimentos ha aumentado en Carolina del Norte a medida que avanza la pandemia, y casi el 20% de todos los residentes enfrentan inseguridad alimentaria, según el grupo Alimentando América.

Deborah Freeman de Good Shepherd Food Pantry en el condado de Bertie dice que el dinero extra ayudará a su organización a apoyar a los agricultores locales, traer más productos a las familias del condado de Bertie y proporcionar refrigeración comercial para extender la vida útil necesaria y así distribuir productos frescos.

"Pudimos conseguir un congelador comercial, un refrigerador comercial. Pudimos ubicar a los agricultores locales en el área, comprarles su comida, esa comida fue al mercado de agricultores", agregó además Freeman.

El director de TRACTOR Food and Farms en el condado de Yancey, Dru Zucchino, dice que el apoyo ha ayudado a su grupo a expandir los servicios en el oeste de Carolina del Norte, aumentando el acceso a alimentos cultivados en la comunidad a más de 11,000 personas con inseguridad alimentaria.

"Pudimos llegar a todos los que lo necesitaban, por lo que si nos quedábamos sin comida en un lugar, luego podíamos seguir sirviendo a esa circunscripción, o a esa población. Era muy importante tener esa flexibilidad durante una pandemia", añadió también el señor Zucchino.

Los datos federales publicados a principios de este mes muestran que en todo el país, la inseguridad alimentaria se disparó entre los hogares con niños, los hogares negros y los hogares del sur. La brecha de inseguridad alimentaria entre los hogares negros y blancos se amplió, con un 21.7% de los hogares negros sin saber de dónde vendría su próxima comida, en comparación con un 7.1% de los hogares blancos.

Tennessee has expanded food assistance for Northeast Tennessee residents still cleaning up after Hurricane Helene.

What's known as the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is in effect for current SNAP recipients in the eight counties affected.

Signe Anderson, senior director of nutrition advocacy for the Tennessee Justice Center, said benefits are provided through an electronic debit card and can be used to purchase food items at grocery stores and other authorized retailers who accept electronic benefit transfer.

"The state has been able to secure an automatic mass reimbursement of 65% to SNAP participants who are already part of the program," Anderson reported. "With the knowledge that so many people lost power, there was major devastation."

The Tennessee Department of Human Services has also temporarily allowed SNAP recipients in 13 counties to use their benefits to purchase hot foods due to the challenges of hurricane recovery.

Anderson thinks the 65% reimbursement is a good start but pointed out the USDA approved more waivers for households to get the full 100% reimbursement back by filling out an affidavit on its website. The waiver covers Carter, Hawkins, Johnson, Unicoi and Washington counties.

She added Cocke, Greene and Hamblen counties were not approved in the waiver.

"The state did say, even if you're not in one of these listed counties but you're in one of those bordering counties, you should apply through the affidavit and make your case," Anderson explained. "Unfortunately, those individuals in the surrounding counties aren't automatically reimbursed but if they reach out to DHS through the affidavit, they're likely to get help."

She added President Joe Biden's FEMA disaster declaration allows the state to do even more. The assistance includes grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.


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It is National School Lunch Week and groups in Oregon are taking the opportunity to encourage lawmakers to make school meals available to every kid in the state.

The School Meals for All coalition is calling for legislation to make breakfast and lunch free for all Oregon students. The coalition wants lawmakers to adopt the policy during the 2025 session.

David Wieland, policy advocate for the group Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon, said the state is already close to the goal.

"About 1,191 schools in the state are already participating and we're only 65 schools away," Wieland reported. "We're so close to the finish line in realizing this vision."

Nine states have adopted universal school meals. Opponents have pointed to the high cost of providing meals to every student in the state but one in six Oregon children faces hunger, according to Feeding America data.

Loren Naldoza, public policy advocate for Oregon Food Bank, said free school meals have a number of benefits, including helping students academically.

"Our fight for a universal school meals program ensures that any student who doesn't have a lunch that day won't have to worry about being hungry because one will be ready for them," Naldoza emphasized. "We're going to see this pay off, in the short term and in the long term."

Wieland added the policy the School Meals for All coalition is pushing for would also improve food quality.

"Moving to free a breakfast and lunch program gets rid of the administrative overhead," Wieland noted. "Our proposal is going to slightly increase funding so that more money is going to fresh ingredients that are scratch cooked, and children enjoy and deserve."

A New Mexico food bank has expanded outreach to the state's Indigenous communities by hiring a Director of Tribal Relations.

Candice Griego will help Roadrunner Food Bank collaborate more closely with tribal communities to better identify food insecurity and find culturally responsive solutions that respect their needs.

New Mexico is one of the most rural states in the country, and Griego said tribal community members must often travel 50 miles or more to get groceries.

"A lot of these tribal communities are located in rural areas," said Griego, "where they're in food deserts, where there's not necessarily a lot of grocery stores. That's experienced a lot on the Navajo Reservation."

Griego, whose background is primarily in healthcare, is enrolled as a Zia Pueblo tribal member. She said the food bank already has started seven new food distributions on the Navajo Nation.

Griego said she hopes to gain a better understanding of which tribes need monthly or bimonthly food distributions from Roadrunner and provide them with culturally appropriate foods when possible.

She said that requires regular outreach to tribal leaders and communities.

"They feel comfortable in connecting with me and asking me for certain food products," said Griego. "So, just building that relationship and having that comfort level, and them knowing they can reach out to me."

Native Americans make up nearly 11% of the New Mexico population. In addition to the Navajo Reservation, the state is home to 23 Indian tribes, 19 Pueblos, and three Apache tribes.

The food bank anticipates hosting a tribal community focused event in early November during Native American Heritage Month.