Event

The COVID-19 pandemic raised awareness about the detrimental impact of food and nutrition insecurity on the health and well-being of millions of Americans as well as the important role of the charitable food system in helping to alleviate hunger. Feeding America, the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States, supports a network of 200 food banks and over 60,000 community agencies across the nation to provide meals directly to 46 million individuals and families per year. It also connects people to federal food and nutrition programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and works with government and the private sector to advocate for the supports, protections, and food access needed by all individuals to live a healthy and active life.

Defined by the United States Department of Agriculture as “limited access to adequate food based on lack of money and other resources,” food insecurity affected 13.5 million households, or 10.2%, in the U.S. at some time during 2020. And while the overall prevalence of food insecurity in the U.S. remained stable from 2019 to 2020, food insecurity rates for Black and Hispanic households increased, exacerbating existing racial gaps.

Building on the commitment made in response to the murder of George Floyd to advance racial equity throughout its network, Feeding America launched the Feeding America Equity Research Visiting Scholar Program to develop new models and approaches for understanding racial gaps in food insecurity and contribute to the research literature about its key drivers, including the role of racism and structural oppression.

Serving as Feeding America’s inaugural Visiting Equity Scholar, Angela Odoms-Young, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Division of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell University, will be joined by her Feeding America colleagues Tom Summerfelt, Chief Research Officer, and Emily Englehard, Vice President of Research and Translation, to share their recent efforts to examine racial inequities in food insecurity, identify its causes and consequences, and propose potential solutions for future research and action. In addition, a representative from one of Feeding America’s network of food banks will provide insights about the critical role research can play in informing local efforts to promote equitable food access.