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Grocery store prices are going up nationwide as the COVID-19 pandemic wears on. Moreover, the cost of a supermarket trip is up 3.5 percent from a year ago. This is according to the USDA report. It is 75 percent higher than the 20-year average.

Grocery Store and Stretching the Dollar

Making a mere dollar stretch as far as possible does continue to remain a daily undertaking. This is more than a million in North Carolina. As well as in other U.S. states that still go to bed hungry. Moreover, this is happening well into a year of the Corona Virus pandemic. This does illustrate how the fact of stretching that dollar may be harder than ever right at this time, according to a new U.S. Department of Agriculture report.

Food Price Jump

It seems more and more people are in fact eating at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. It has unfortunately and ridiculously disrupted the nation’s supply chain. In fact, leaving producers and the distributors unable to switch gears and adapt thus driving up food prices in the process.

Bad Timing

In North Carolina, there are roughly 1.6 million people that are expected to experience hunger than last year in 2020. This is because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Feeding America. It is the nation’s largest hunger-relief organization. This year, as many as 42 million people nationwide, could, in fact, face and experience food insecurity, Feeding America says.

National Make Lunch Count Day

National Make Lunch Count Day is April 13th. It typically encourages workers to get away. Especially from their desks to enjoy their lunch. It may, in fact, possess a different significance this year.

Tips to Make Your Lunch Count

Moreover, ahead of the observance and amid the increase in grocery prices, below are some ways to make your lunch count in North Carolina:

To participate in a summer lunch programs through your school if you have kids.

22 million children will receive free or reduced-price school meals during the school year. It is through the National School Lunch Program says Feeding America. Moreover, when schools let out for the summer, only 1 in 6 kids will typically still have access to those meals through the USDA Summer Food Service Program.

There is more information about the P-EBT program in North Carolina, that includes eligibility, it may be found here.