Feeding America on Thanksgiving: The challenges of addressing hunger in the U.S.

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Feeding America on Thanksgiving: The challenges of addressing hunger in the U.S. As many sit down for a Thanksgiving feast, millions worry about where their next meal will come from. Feeding America CEO Claire Babineaux-Fontenot talks to NPR’s Rob Schmitz about hunger in the U.S.

National

November 28, 20247:20 AM ET

Feeding America on Thanksgiving: The challenges of addressing hunger in the U.S.

As many sit down for a Thanksgiving feast, millions worry about where their next meal will come from. Feeding America CEO Claire Babineaux-Fontenot talks to NPR’s Rob Schmitz about hunger in the U.S.

ROB SCHMITZ, HOST:

As many Americans sit down for a Thanksgiving feast today, millions are worried about where their next meal will come from.

CLAIRE BABINEAUX-FONTENOT: There is no county in the United States where there’s not a group of people who are living with hunger.

SCHMITZ: That’s Claire Babineaux-Fontenot. She’s the CEO of the national food bank network Feeding America. She says donations are down because there’s a lack of awareness about hunger in the U.S.

BABINEAUX- FONTENOT: During the pandemic, we as a nation really understood what was happening with hunger. We could see those long lines blocking traffic on streets or filling parking lots. And as a whole nation, we really pulled together our resources and our intentionality and we did things to be helpful. Congress did that, too, bipartisan legislation that increased the amount of food that people had access to during the pandemic.

And since the pandemic, those resources have been cut back. And foundational to the work that we do is that it must be nonpartisan, not bipartisan, but nonpartisan. And we’re hopeful always that when we share what’s really happening in communities across the country, that any and every administration is going to want to roll their sleeves up and be helpful to.

SCHMITZ: It’s a known fact that the work that food banks do is essential. But when it comes to nutrition, how hard is it to provide nutrient-rich foods?

BABINEAUX- FONTENOT: It’s rather difficult for at least a few reasons. One, it’s more expensive. And, two, fresh produce – as an example, protein, dairy – requires refrigeration and requires some sophistication around the handling of it. I mentioned … Read More