Food Security. Capital Area Food Bank. June 2020

Keeping up with demand Even before the pandemic, nearly 400,000 people in our area struggled with food insecurity. Today, that number is rising rapidly – and behind the scenes, CAFB operations have raised the bar to an unprecedented level in order to keep our communities fed. On any given day, emergency boxes of food and socially-distanced volunteers take up almost every open space in our 100,000 square foot warehouse. These volunteers have packed 50,000 emergency boxes for area families in just over three months. To keep inventory level with demand, the food bank ordered 160 truckloads of food in May alone – almost five times what we purchased all of last year. And in a span of just 4 days at the end of last month, our incredible operations team packed, shipped, and delivered more than one million pounds of food. Click here for a snapshot of COVID-19’s local impact, and our response, in numbers. Moving more food through creative new partnerships The increase in need in our region means we’re distributing more food than ever. Making the logistics of moving all the food work has required getting creative with partnerships. The CAFB has teamed up with Goodwill of Greater Washington to help move food to partners in every corner of our service area. From mid-May to early June, Goodwill of Greater Washington used its fleet to deliver approximately 200 pallets of food to partners while its retail stores were closed – getting more than 9,000 life sustaining meals to the tables of those who need them across the region. UberFreight has also jumped in to provide no-charge freight services through the end of June, their pro bono loads bringing to the food bank 100,000 empty boxes to be used for packing emergency food boxes for families. Keeping summer hunger free During a typical summer, the meals we provide through the CAFB’s summer meals program are essential for kids who typically rely on free or reduced school breakfasts and lunches. Despite new safety measures required by the pandemic, the food bank is planning to partner with 50 sites across our service area over the coming months to ensure children in our communities have access to the food they need to grow and thrive. Stay tuned for updates throughout the summer! Telling stories of service Thousands of volunteers have stepped through the doors of the CAFB warehouse since the pandemic began, providing the essential first step in getting food flowing to the men, women, and children we serve. Regular CAFB volunteer Rob Britton recently spoke with us about what motivates him to dedicate his time to feeding his neighbors in need. We caught up with him during his 5th week volunteering in a row, as the city was still under lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. Meet volunteer Rob Britton. Highlighting the ever-growing importance of SNAP More than 44 million Americans – including 424,000 in our region as of June 1st – have filed for unemployment claims and many who are struggling to feed their families are turning to food banks. CAFB CEO Radha Muthiah recently spoke with Politico and CNN  about COVID-19’s economic impacts and the unprecedented need for emergency food – and the important role the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program can play in alleviating that need.

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