Pandemic lesson: New York state develops farm-to-pantry food networks
Across the United States, large food banks were distributing 80% more food in spring 2020 than they had been a year before, as pandemic lockdowns pushed many people out of work. Yet many farms found themselves with unsold food as restaurants or cafeterias closed. Around the nation, some nonprofits and governments saw opportunities to match unsold crops with people who needed them. Why We Wrote This When the pandemic struck, a rise in hunger was matched by a surge in farms that lost much of their normal demand. Here’s how one effort to get food where it’s needed may have enduring benef...