SHREVEPORT, La. - During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mississippi and Louisiana have the highest estimates of food insecurity. With our neighboring state at 31.6%, Louisiana stands at a rate of 30.1%. That is according to a study done by Northwestern University.
âSince the pandemic began in March, we have definitely had an increase,â said Executive Director for the Food Bank of Northwest Louisiana Martha Marak.
An increase in unemployment led to more people needing help for themselves and their families this year. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Louisiana s unemployment rose from 7.7% in August to nearly 4.5% in October.
âFood insecurity in Northwest Louisiana has always been an issue,â said Marak. âWe, at the food bank, help about 75,000 individuals every year that struggle with food insecurity. And really, in Northwest Louisiana, the numbers shouldn t be that high.â
Community leaders hand out food in Martin Luther King neighborhood Drive-thru food giveaway (Source: Destinee Patterson) By Destinee Patterson | December 12, 2020 at 5:05 PM CST - Updated December 12 at 10:50 PM
SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) - âThis food should last them at least a week or two,â District 2 Caddo Commissioner Lyndon B. Johnson said on Saturday.
He partnered with the Food Bank of Northwest Louisiana to host a drive-thru food giveaway in a parking lot at Southern University-Shreveport.
âA lot of times with the holidays, people get depressed, because they canât do what they really want to do. Now that weâre in this pandemic, itâs even worse.â
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