New Online Data Tool Reveals Alarming Number of D.C. Residents Don’t Have Enough to Eat During Pandemic

Media Contact: 

Brittani Riddle
briddle@frac.org
202-640-1089

New Online Data Tool Reveals Alarming Number of D.C. Residents Don’t Have Enough to Eat During Pandemic

WASHINGTON, July 22, 2021 — A new online data tool on Food Insufficiency During COVID-19, released by the Food Research & Action Center, the parent organization of D.C. Hunger Solutions, reveals alarming data on the rise of food insufficiency in Washington, D.C., during the pandemic.

Food insufficiency, defined as sometimes not having enough to eat, dramatically increased during COVID-19. This new tool provides comprehensive data and research on the connection between hunger, poverty, and health during the pandemic. The tool includes information by state, economic factors, and specific demographics.

The pandemic had an enormous impact on communities in Washington, D.C., disproportionately affecting Black and Latinx households, low-income households, and senior adults.

“Even before COVID-19, millions of households struggled to put food on the table,” said Beverley Wheeler, Director of D.C. Hunger Solutions. “FRAC’s new Dashboard is a one-stop resource that shows how the pandemic has only deepened America’s hunger crisis, especially among Black, Latinx, and Native American households. We hope lawmakers will use FRAC’s Dashboard to better understand the critical need for investing in the proven federal nutrition programs to ensure Washington, D.C., residents have access to the nutrition they need and to stimulate our economy.”

The most recent data from June for Washington, D.C., show shocking numbers, including

• the Overall food insufficiency rate was 11.5 percent, higher than the national average of 9.7 percent;
• the Average food insufficiency rate for Black households was at 20 percent; and
• the Average food insufficiency rate for Latinx households was at 31 percent.

The Food Insufficiency Dashboard demonstrates the need to invest in federal nutrition programs to ensure Washington, D.C. residents have reliable access to healthy meals. D.C. Hunger Solutions works continuously to improve public policies to end hunger and increase access to nutritious meals for residents in the nation’s capital.

The information available in FRAC’s Food Insufficiency During COVID-19 Dashboard is calculated using the Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey Data Tables data. The dashboard will be updated every two weeks and is available online.

###

About D.C. Hunger Solutions
D.C. Hunger Solutions, founded in 2002 as an initiative of the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), works to create a hunger-free community and improve the nutrition, health, economic security, and well-being of low-income people in the District of Columbia. To learn more about D.C. Hunger Solutions, visit www.dchunger.org.