The Role of Food Assistance Programs in Alleviating Food Insufficiency among Job-loss Households during the Pandemic

Keywords: food insufficiency, job-loss household, food assistance programs, the pandemic
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Sunday
Session Start / End Time: 2/27/2022 09:40 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/27/2022 11:00 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 12

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused severe consequences to people’s health and well-being in the U.S., for example, intensified food insecurity across the country. The U.S. government has implemented several food assistance programs for aiding low-income Americans and improving their wellness. Community-based food assistance programs (e.g., food banks and home delivered service like Meals on Wheels) have also helped families in need. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of federal and community-based food assistance programs in reducing food insufficiency among families who have experienced job loss in the context of the global pandemic.

The analysis was conducted with nationally representative survey data (n=229,668) collected across 50 states and D.C. in 2020. About 13.1% of participants have suffered food insufficiency, 45.4% (13,667) of whom have experienced food insufficiency for the first time. Percentages of food insufficient households rose across all states during pandemic and several states (Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Alabama) had the highest percentages. The results indicate that community-based programs have significantly lowered the odds of being food insufficient by 35.6% for all participants, while the federal program (SNAP) has effectively reduced the risk by 20.6% only for households who were already food insufficient before the pandemic. The findings suggest increasing the flexibility of the federal food assistance programs and improving their cooperation with community-based programs during a crisis.