Members of the Ohio National Guard assist in packing emergency food boxes for distribution at the Cleveland Food Bank on March 24 in Cleveland.
Credit: Tony Dejak/AP
As hours-long lines form at food banks across the country, the staff members and volunteers handing over emergency staples have been required to collect information from those in need through extended conversations that threaten to violate the guidance of health officials about minimizing contact with others.
The Agriculture Department has stalled in approving requests from states to speed up the distribution by lessening that paperwork, appearing not to understand the depth of the economic crisis hitting the country, officials in affected states say.
To hand someone a box of groceries that includes food provided by the federal government, food banks are required to collect information — typically, his or her name, address, household size and income, which has to be below a threshold set by each state.
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