Although most schools have been shuttered since mid-March, the official end of the school year is here for many states, which means that school districts and sponsors across the country are launching or fine-tuning their summer nutrition programs. These programs are designed to replace school breakfast and lunch, filling a nutrition gap that exists for thousands of low-income children during the summer months.
Hunger and food insecurity is no stranger for Native Americans, who collectively make up self-governing communities throughout the United States known as Indian Country. Community food deficits are a pervasive fact of life, persisting for centuries for American’s first citizens. Traumatic events like pandemics amplify these circumstances. As COVID-19 numbers rise, so do the challenges and impacts on Native peoples’ health and access to food. In order to address the escalating health crisis caused by COVID-19, Tribal governments are justifiably closing their borders and businesses. Suppressing exposure to the pandemic is a solid, rational and critical step that Tribal governments must take to protect their citizens.
Struggling with food insecurity and the associated health risks well before the COVID-19 public health crisis began, older adults have been hit particularly hard by the pandemic, especially those who are 65 and older, older adults of color, and older adults with underlying medical conditions. Many are at disproportionate risk of contracting COVID-19, and struggle to put food on the table, let alone stockpile enough for sheltering in place.
A recent report released by the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice, an action research center focused on advancing changes to meet real college students’ needs, focuses on the experiences and basic needs of students parenting while in college. The purpose of this report is to draw attention to the reality for most parenting students and promote policy changes and practices that can offer the best support.
May is Older Americans Month. So many of us are worried about the older adults in our lives, and one thing that tops the list of concerns is thinking about how our loved ones can access food. Across the nation, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the first line of defense for older adults experiencing food insecurity each day, and that is especially the case during the COVID-19 pandemic. For millions of older adults in the U.S., the basis of concerns about accessing food is a lack of resources to afford enough food.
