Google launches 'Find Food Support' for Americans experiencing food insecurity
Google searches for "food bank near me," "food stamps application," and more trended at "record highs" in 2020.
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Google is launching "Find Food Support" Tuesday— a "one-stop-shop" website for Americans experiencing food insecurity to find resources and assistance within their communities during their time of need.
The website is expected to feature a Google Maps locator tool to allow people to search for their nearest food bank, food pantry, or school meal program pickup site within their communities.
The site will also provide resources to help people find food support with SNAP benefit information; support for individual groups like seniors, children and military families; state-by-state benefit sites; food support hotlines and information to donate money, time and food to those in need.
"The COVID-19 pandemic and the economic crisis that followed exacerbated hunger for millions of people," Emily Ma, Google’s Food for Good head wrote Tuesday in a blog post. "We know people are looking for ways to get help, including on Google Search."
Ma wrote that over the past year, searches for "food bank near me," "Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)," "food stamps application," and "school lunch pick up," "reached record highs."
Google worked with No Kid Hungry, FoodFinder and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to capture 90,000 places with free food support across all 50 states.
The site is also expected to feature several YouTube videos, aimed to de-stigmatize food insecurity.
"Food insecurity impacts people from all walks of life—especially since the start of the pandemic," Ma wrote, adding, though, that the the "stigma associated with getting help can be a barrier for many."
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"We want people to know they’re not alone," Ma wrote, describing the videos as "stigma-busting."
A Google spokesperson told Fox Business that an estimated 45 million people, or one in seven Americans experienced food insecurity in 2020—including approximately 15 million children—nearly a 30% increase from 2019.
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"There’s a long way to go to fully solving the hunger crisis in the U.S. and around the globe, but we hope Find Food Support helps connect people in the U.S. to free food and assistance in their time of need," Ma wrote.