Andrew Schiff is CEO of the Rhode Island Community Food Bank.
Hunger is largely an invisible problem. Unless you experience hunger yourself, or volunteer at a food pantry or meal site and see the long lines of people seeking help, it’s hidden from view.
To bring the problem to light, the Rhode Island Community Food Bank annually produces the Status Report on Hunger in Rhode Island. In 2023, we showed that nearly three in 10 households were food insecure and at-risk of hunger because they could not afford adequate food. Families with children and communities of color demonstrated even higher rates of food insecurity.
Low-income households have been burdened by high food and rent costs and the loss of critical resources that they relied on during the pandemic. Emergency SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits ended in March 2023 and free school meals for all students ended in June 2022.
Now, over 80,000 people receive food assistance each month through the food bank’s statewide network of 143 partner organizations. In response to the growing need, the General Assembly allocated $3 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to the food bank, which made it possible for us to increase food distribution from 12 million (pre-pandemic) to 18 million pounds of food per year.