Researcher: Naomi Painter

Research topic: Food Security

Food aid programs and organizations at the state and federal level have initiated or are considering significant alterations to eligibility requirements and benefits since the start of the pandemic and resulting economic recession. Such policy changes present the question as to how COVID-19 has impacted the effectiveness of food aid programs in relation to resource allocation and distribution. Proposed changes such as increasing the requirements to receive aid and reducing the benefits implicate a decrease in effectiveness and negative impacts for high-risk populations (e.g. older adults, unemployed, single-parent households). The issue is investigated using weekly household survey data from the U.S. Census Household PULSE survey.