According to the Feeding America Impact of Coronavirus on Food Insecurity projections (published March 29, 2021), the food insecurity rate in Fairfax County is at 7.4% in 2021, up from 5.8% in 2019. That means that about 86,716 people in Fairfax are experiencing food insecurity.
The Capital Area Food Bank analyzed the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our region in their Hunger Report 2021; they surveyed people using food bank services and found that:
- Across the region, people who are newly food insecure (started going to free food distribution locations after March 2020) are more likely to have larger households and children and are more likely to be working compared to those who visited free food distribution locations before the pandemic.
- In Fairfax County, about 35% of people who visit free food distribution locations say that most or all of their food comes from such distributions.
- Food costs are on the rise, and about 37% of people who visited a free food distribution location said that their household spent $500 or more a month on food to prepare and eat at home.
- The average amount of money spent per person on food per month is among the highest in the region at $110; only DC and Alexandria have higher average rates.
Food providers are working hard to make sure that their clients are getting food that fits their needs. In Fairfax County, about 90% of people visiting food distribution locations said that they received food that fits their nutritional and dietary needs most of the time, and about 85% say that they received food that fits with their culture’s cuisine most of the time.
