AAP Voices Blog

As an outpatient pediatrician, I'm really enjoying telehealth visits during COVID-19 that give me a bigger window into the home lives of my patients. But I'm worried about many of them because their household resources are strained like never before.  

Every encounter includes me asking about basic needs, such as food, and many parents admit they are struggling. Last week a mom shared that if they were unable to get to the school for the weekly food distribution, they would not have enough to eat. She is very worried about what will happen in a few weeks when those distributions end.  

I'm so fortunate to practice community pediatrics with people who understand that for children to thrive, they must have access to healthy food. 

In addition to our pediatric clinic, St. Paul Children's Services has run a food pantry for more than 20 years. We've seen economic recessions, hurricanes and tornadoes that created increased need in our community, but we've never seen anything like the need associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.  ​

Our food pantry is seeing four times the number of families now than we did this time last year, and over half of those are new families. As children are missing meals normally provided at school and child care, and parents are out of work or having hours cut, families simply don't have enough.  

People all over our community are trying to fill the gap. The food bank is distributing emergency food boxes, pantries are increasing service hours, and schools are offering sites where children can come get meals. But there are limitations to each of these solutions.  

Many students have difficulty accessing school meal sites during the narrow windows of time they are open. It’s also difficult to include foods like meat, dairy and many fresh fruits and vegetables in emergency boxes that are prepared ahead of time and distributed in the Texas sun. And pantries are struggling to keep enough volunteers and food in stock.​

We need to strengthen the safety net for families in a way that is easily accessible and flexible. Expanding SNAP benefits — both in eligibility and benefits — and reducing administrative burdens for applications and renewals are crucial steps to ensuring that children stay healthy during this pandemic.  

Send in your COVID-19 pandemic story, and we may share it here and on our social media channels. https://bit.ly/2XVvJIu

*The views expressed in this article are those of the author, and not necessarily those of the American Academy of Pediatrics.