LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Thousands of Arkansans are still struggling with food insecurity as the pandemic winds down.
At the Arkansas Foodbank, thousands of boxes of food are packed daily. Around 3,000 40 pound boxes of food are packed each day. That's enough to feed a family of four for three days.
“We can provide a box of food that helps to tie them over until they get another paycheck or their job increases," Rhonda Sanders, CEO of the Arkansas Food Bank, said.
In the past year, more food has gone out the door than ever before.
"In 2019, we were at 30 million pounds of food. 2020 we did 40 million pounds of food," Sanders said.
Sanders said it did not take long when the pandemic hit for people to start asking for help. 30 percent of people needing help were showing up to the food bank for the first time.
"We just saw them from all walks of life. Contractors that had been laid off. You name it," Sanders said. “That was also right at the time businesses shut down, restaurants had to close. So, within that next one-month time period, the numbers escalated drastically.”
In February of 2020, 17 percent of Arkansans were food insecure, the lowest it had been since before the 2008 recession.
"So, that took 10 years to get back to what had been before," Sander said.
When the pandemic hit in March, that number jumped to 22 percent.
"It felt like it was absolutely instant," Sanders said.
Today, that number still hovers around 20-22 percent of Arkansans needing food assistance.
"We do feel like the rebound will be faster. So, I'm really hoping we're looking at a five-year trending back down versus a 10 year trending back down," Sanders said.
Stephanie Fink is the manager of Feed Arkansas Kids. The program gives backpacks full of food each week to kids in central Arkansas.
"Last March when schools all shut down, went completely virtual, that affected what we do greatly," Fink said.
The pandemic actually caused the program to feed fewer kids.
"Without the kids being at school, we weren't able to get the food to them," Fink said.
Typically, the program would feed about 1,600 kids a week in central Arkansas. That number dropped down to 1,200 last March, which was worrisome for Fink.
"I hope that those same kids that aren't getting the backpacks are at least getting the meals in their neighborhood. I know that there have been a lot of other programs operating in neighborhoods like at the library," Fink said.
As most kids head back into the classroom this fall, Fink is confident she will be able to get food back into the hands of kids who need it.
"I feel like this next school year things will be better," she said.
Despite the pandemic winding down, the Arkansas Foodbank is still on track to give out 38 million pounds of food this year.
"There are still those that have lost jobs. There are those whose jobs will never come back. Businesses have closed. Restaurants have closed," Sanders said. “It’s going to take a while to get back to the levels that they were before.”
If you are in need of food assistance, click here to visit the food bank's website. The map will tell you where the closest resource is to you.