LOCAL non-profit food rescue programme Hands for Hunger says the need for food assistance will likely remain past the government's June deadline to end its national outreach.

Hands for Hunger is part of the government’s National Food Distribution Task Force and is feeding thousands of families in need.

When asked about the expected need for food once the government’s programme comes to an end next month, Hands for Hunger executive director, Keisha Ellis said: “I think that food insecurity has been a part of our reality for quite some time. So do I think that food insecurity will magically disappear at the end of June? Absolutely not. No matter how hard Hands for Hunger is working, that just won’t be the case.

“I think that there will definitely still be a need past June and I’m really excited to see what other innovative ways we can begin to address this now long-term food insecurity that’s been caused by COVID-19.”

She said while the demand for food has remained high during the pandemic, the numbers have been fluctuating recently.

“Well, you know what the numbers remain high but the names of the people that are on the distribution list that’s changing, because what we’re finding is that there are some people that had a very hard time at the start of the pandemic but are now finding their footing but at the same time there are people at the beginning of the pandemic that were able to kind of hold on a little bit.

“They weren’t in need at the very beginning but now because things are, you know, going on for so long and it’s taking quite a while for the economy to really bounce back.

“We’re finding that people that were able to hold on, that were okay for you know the first half of the pandemic are now presenting themselves as needing assistance.”

As for the number of people being assisted this quarter since January, she answered: “In this phase of the task force we are currently serving 3,500 families.”

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