Hunger hits lowest point since beginning of pandemic

Hunger in the U.S. has fallen to its lowest point since the pandemic began, though many Americans are still struggling.

"Government support appears to be behind the decline, as Americans who need relief the most finally got it," Stephanie Asymkos reports for Yahoo!Finance. "About 18.4 million — or 8.8 percent American households — reported there was either sometimes or often not enough to eat in the last seven days during the latest Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey period of March 17 - 29. That was down from 10.7% in the first half of March and marked roughly 4 million fewer hungry households."

Households with children, which have been among the hardest-hit during the pandemic, have been doing better too. "The latest data indicates that over 9 million, or 11.2% of [such] households, reported food insecurity over the same time period, a decrease of 2.9 million.," Asymkos reports. "The decline in food scarcity comes as qualifying households and individuals began receiving a third round stimulus payments under President Biden's $1.9 trillion relief bill. The government started delivering the cash injection of up to $1,400 per individual and $1,400 for dependents more than three weeks ago, around the same time the trajectory of food insecurity turned positive."

The Biden administration's "effort to rush more food assistance to more people is notable both for the scale of its ambition and the variety of its legislative and administrative actions," Jason DeParle reports for The New York Times. "The campaign has increased food stamps by more than $1 billion a month, provided needy children a dollar a day for snacks, expanded a produce allowance for pregnant women and children, and authorized the largest children’s summer feeding program in history."