The 51st (Sep 15)
"Velle Perkins, a Ward 1 resident, has long had to be strategic to feed her family, visiting food banks like Bread for the City and Martha’s Table, and shopping at discount grocery stores like Walmart, Lidl, and Dollar Tree. Last month, she had to stop working because of a health condition, she said, forcing her to squeeze her budget even tighter.
“Every day, I don't know what I'm gonna have to pick and choose,” said 53-year-old Perkins.
"More and more D.C. residents are in the same boat, according to a report from Capital Area Food Bank that came out today. The 2026 Hunger Report showed that food insecurity in the D.C. region is worse than it’s been in five years — worse even than around the height of the pandemic.
"According to the report, 38% of households in the greater Washington region — which includes D.C. and nearby counties in Maryland and Virginia — experienced food insecurity over the past year, compared to 36% in the previous year’s report, an increase resulting from a combination of low-income residents like Perkins continuing to struggle and other households experiencing food insecurity for the first time, including laid-off federal workers."
