The Coronavirus outbreak is proving what we already know: that the health of our communities is only as strong as that of our most vulnerable community members. During times of uncertainty, it is even more important that we work together to take care of one another, when it comes to food as well as other basic needs.
With the uncertainty of the impact the Coronavirus outbreak will have on our local community, the Food Bank is working to plan for many potential scenarios in order to do our best to protect food security in the Southern Tier. Nationally, we’re already seeing one unfortunate side effect of the outbreak: students who rely on school meals experiencing increased food insecurity in the event of school closures.
As this article points out, the USDA is allowing for some changes that could help communities serve meals to children even when school is not in session. Still, this continues to be an evolving situation that The Food
Bank will continue to monitor food insecurity in our region and work with our partners to help meet our community’s needs.
by Lyndsey Lyman, Advocacy and Education Manager