Food pantries in Connecticut say they’ve faced more demand due to Covid-19. They’re asking congress to restore unemployment benefits that expired last week.
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal toured a Person-to-Person food distribution site in Stamford, Connecticut that offers food, housing and employment services, among other programs.
The pantry says it’s giving out nearly twice as much food as it did this time last year.
“This kind of program fills a desperate gap that people are now feeling every day. Nutrition insecurity is exploding in America like we’ve never seen in our lifetimes before. And the reason is a failure of the federal government to do its job.”
Congressional leaders disagree on whether, or how much, to restore $600 monthly unemployment benefits put in place at the start of the pandemic. Blumenthal called on congress to extend the benefits.
