Food banks and families they serve need your help
By The Herald Editorial Board
It should surprise no one that this is a particularly tough time for the food banks that provide vital assistance to families in Snohomish County and throughout the state.
Not only are many food banks trying to meet an overwhelming need — as more families struggle with layoffs or reduced pay — donations also have declined by as much as 70 percent, according to statewide estimates.
On the supply side: Food banks, in addition to donations from people in the community, also rely heavily on restaurants and grocery stores who donate food or sell their surplus at reduced rates. But many restaurants have cut their usual orders from suppliers as their business has been reduced to curb-side pick-up and delivery and have less surplus to offer; and grocery stores have struggled to keep their shelves filled because of increased demand.
On the demand side: Even before the coronavirus pandemic — and the business closures that followed the state’s necessary “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” social-distancing orders, some 650,000 Washington residents were collecting unemployment benefits. Since early March, that number has more than doubled to 1.45 million, and of the 800,000 additional people filing claims, a third of those — 280,000 — have yet to receive jobless benefits because of the backlog from the increased demand as their eligibility is confirmed.
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