Child hunger is soaring to unprecedented levels as the Congress-backed emergency feeding program starts slow. The aid, which was passed two months ago, has only reached part of the 30 million children it was designed to support.

The Pandemic-EBT program was created to compensate for the declining reach of school meals as the COVID-19 pandemic forces most to cease operations. Under the plan, families would be given electronic cards they can use in grocery stores to purchase food. Officials are required to collect lunch lists from local school districts. The lists would be encoded on state computers that are often outdated. Issuing the cards have also proven to be much harder than expected.

Feeding Program

The U.S. Congress approved the relief effort in mid-March as part of the Family First Coronavirus Response bill. Officials claim the cards will offer greater choices and reach more people in the nation. It provides nearly $6 for each lost school day. In Texas, every child is expected to receive $285. In New York, children are set to receive $420. The federal and state governments will co-pay for the benefits. According to an analysis by The New York Times, only 15 percent of eligible children have received help since May 15. Only 12 states have started sending financial aid. Only Michigan and Rhode Island had finished sending the relief packages.

More than half of the nation's schoolchildren qualify for the meals. In Louisiana, 78% of students are eligible for subsidized meals, while 85% are qualified in West Virginia. Millions of families are expected to receive the COVID-19 relief payments in the coming weeks. However, 16 states still lack approval from federal officials to begin the payments. Utah refused to take part in the program, saying the state could not provide the funds.

Despite many officials working overtime to implement the program, state and local governments have been contributing to the delays. Private companies who are tasked to print the cards have also added setbacks to the program's pace.

Child Hunger

Food insecurity in the United States has increased since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lines outside food banks stretch for miles. A new study conducted by Brookings Institution revealed one-fifth of all mothers with young children claims they were not getting enough to eat. Some households also claim they do not have enough capability to purchase more food. In 2018, less than 5% of mothers with children aged 12 and under said they couldn't afford enough food. In April 2020, the number soared to 17.4%. The survey also found that 40.9% of mothers with children aged 12 and under began experiencing food insecurity when the coronavirus pandemic swept across the nation.

The study also indicated a 130% increase in the number of families with children under 18 who claims they were experiencing food insecurity from 2018 to present.

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