Food insecurity surges with unemployment in Massachusetts
“An estimated 650,000 people in eastern Massachusetts — nearly the population of Boston — aren’t sure where their next meal is coming from due to the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the nonprofit that oversees 200 U.S. food banks. The food-insecurity rate in Massachusetts has increased 53% since before the pandemic, according to Feeding America. One in seven people are expected to not have access to enough food for three healthy meals a day, and one in five children in Massachusetts now live in food-insecure households, an increase of 81% over pre-COVID-19 food-insecurity levels. The jobless rate in Massachusetts also hit 16.1% last month, the highest in the country.”