Food banks embark on expansions with lessons from COVID

By SUDHIN THANAWALA
Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — Food banks have ramped up their output during the coronavirus pandemic to meet an explosion of need from families facing financial hardship. Now, some are preparing to permanently boost their food distribution with major expansion projects driven in part by their experiences during the pandemic. Food banks in Florida, North Carolina and Utah are all working on adding capacity. The projects come amid persistent food insecurity in the U.S. despite the country’s slow crawl back from the economic fallout of the pandemic. While demand has dropped from pandemic peaks, the need remains far above pre-pandemic levels.