COVID Impact
May 2021
How many Minnesota children should be served through Federal Nutrition Programs? 612,229, based on numbers for calendar year 2020.
Since the COVID pandemic began, that’s an increase of 22 percent over a baseline of 500,000, which is where Hunger Impact Partners started our work to close the meal gap for kids.
Recent findings from the Annie E. Casey Foundation reveal the hardship faced by Minnesota families during the COVID pandemic. A recent survey from the foundation revealed 8 percent of respondents were concerned about food insecurity.
Below is a comparison of at-risk meals between Summer 2019 and Summer 2020. It reveals a six-fold increase in meals served by sponsor.
The most significant increase came in meals served at schools. This happened because were were able to provide meal packs with up to two meals daily for an entire week.
Schools became efficient food distribution centers in Minnesota communities using school locations, libraries, churches, fire departments and other locations.