FHighting Hunger, Together

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic affected all aspects of our lives. Unfortunately for some, these impacts were far more drastic than adjusting to Zoom meetings and virtual Happy Hours. With millions of Americans out of work, one of our nation’s most hidden problems has gotten exponentially worse — food insecurity.

Food insecurity is described when a household is not able to provide enough food for every person to live an active, healthy life. And as one of the most widespread effects of the pandemic, many people are experiencing this issue for the very first time in their lives.

Prior to the pandemic, 1 in 10 U.S. households experienced food insecurity at some point in 2019, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. During the pandemic, estimates show that food insecurity more than doubled, affecting as much as 23% of households.

Unfortunately, the problem is far greater in our home base of Massachusetts.

According to Feeding America’s food insecurity projections, Massachusetts has seen the greatest increase in food insecurity in the country due to the pandemic — a 59% increase. The problem is even worse for children, as estimates show that 1 in 5 children live in a home that is food insecure — a 117% increase from last year.

Knowing that this issue impacts our local community so much, our team at FHBoston wanted to get involved by volunteering at The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB). GBFB is the largest hunger relief organization in New England and is among the largest food banks in the country. Last year, GBFB distributed 98.8 million pounds of food to people in need. This year, with food insecurity on the rise, GBFB is committed to increasing food distribution to provide three meals a day to every person in need in Eastern Massachusetts.

To help work towards this goal, members of our FleishmanHillard Boston team spent three hours on a Friday afternoon volunteering at the GBFB warehouse. Together, we sorted over 5,000 pounds of donated bread and packaged it to be distributed to local food pantries.

We had an awesome time — not only giving back to our local community — but seeing each other in person for the first time in over a year! It was a great afternoon filled with teamwork, positivity, and gratitude. We’re looking forward to continuing to volunteer with The Greater Boston Food Bank in the months to come.

By working together, we’re helping to end hunger. As our GM John Isaf would say — time to get this bread!