The season of feasting is about to begin for us Americans. Our tables typically overflow with food during religious and national holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. Others will experience hunger.
After more than ten years of reduction, the rate of global hunger has exploded, with more than 800 million people going to bed hungry every night.
US Thanksgiving
We are on the verge of a global famine crisis due to the repercussions of the Ukrainian conflict and the pandemic’s lingering effects in nations like Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Yemen.
Globally, there are now 345 million people who are severely food insecure, an increase of more than 135 million since 2019.
The field office is highly recognized and easily accessible to families throughout the area, according to Kimberly Pea, the center’s program manager.
Approximately 60 to 70 working families, according to her, received assistance from it in areas like food distribution, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, sometimes known as food stamps, as well as Medicaid and Medicare applications.
The center distributed its weekly average of food in a single day, as per Pea, who said that the need for the service increased during the week of Thanksgiving.
READ MORE: SNAP Benefits Increase in Oregon for More Than 400,000 Eligible Recipients in December
Community Thanksgiving Brings Food to Homeless
The cost of food has increased in Chicago and the Midwest. Demand for assistance has outstripped supply at food banks and pantries, and rising food prices have decreased the number of donations that are pouring in. At least one in six Illinois residents currently receives SNAP benefits.
Demand for food aid has increased by 54%, according to Willow Creek Care Center, a food pantry in the Chicago suburb of South Barrington. The center claimed to have spent between $150 and $250 on 900 people’s groceries for a week.
On Thursday afternoon, Elgin locals gathered with their neighbors to celebrate Thanksgiving. Dozens of volunteers, from the cooks to the waiters, worked hard to make the Love Thy Neighbor neighborhood Thanksgiving dinner at First United Methodist Church exceptional.
Thanksgiving festivities were open to everyone, not just the homeless. It was intended for everyone who desired to eat with their neighbor. Everyone who attended the event received a card from the hosts thanking them for sharing Thanksgiving with their neighbors.
READ MORE: SNAP Benefits Update: How To Change EBT Card Pin Amid Onslaught Food Stamp Frauds?
