Person-to-Person (P2P) distributed more food to its clients the week January 11, 2021 than any other week since the pandemic began, providing food for nearly 3,000 individuals, including 1,235 children. There was a total of 927 food appointments at P2P’s Darien, Norwalk, and Stamford food pantries, as well as our Door2Door home delivery program.
This is important to note as it indicates the need for healthy, nutritious food in our community is increasing. The individuals and families we serve need the resources P2P provides, now more than ever.
Caseworkers and site managers say the increase is from more people needing assistance, and that there are more people in each household, including children who are doing remote learning and not receiving meals at school.
According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), “some 29 million adults reported that their household sometimes or often didn’t have enough to eat in the last seven days.* This was far above the pre-pandemic rate.” When asked why, 84 percent of respondents to a survey by the Agriculture Department said they “couldn’t afford to buy more food.”**
These numbers remind us that the need is still great in our community.
As long as there is a need, P2P is here to help.
* https://www.cbpp.org/research/poverty-and-inequality/tracking-the-covid-19-recessions-effects-on-food-housing-and; Household Pulse Survey data collected December 9–21, 2020
