ITHACA, N.Y.(WENY)-- Throughout history millions of Americans have struggled with poverty and hunger and while the face of hunger has changed over the decades, it still exists in the United States in what is now being called food insecurity. 

At the beginning of 2020, COVID-19 started to spread across the United States and one of the results of the pandemic was an economic recession that increased rates of food insecurity following years of declining numbers. Food insecurity is when families have a lack of access to sufficient food because they have limited financial resources, financial resources that only became more limited as the pandemic raged on.   

Throughout the last few centuries, food availability has improved from 2,952.00 kcal in the 1800s to 3,682.00 kcal in 2013. Not only did food become more readily available throughout the decades, it also became cheaper and poverty saw a steep decline as well. Now, instead of struggling to find food, families struggle to find healthy food. 

Laura Bellows, Associate Nutritional Sciences professor at Cornell University said the number of people struggling with food insecurity has only increased throughout the pandemic, many of which have never experienced food insecurity in the past. 

“We all need help somewhere along the way and I think it can be hard to ask for it but the consequences of not asking for it are really high,” said Bellows.  

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, “ Healthy eating in childhood and adolescence is important for proper growth and development.” 

The CDC recommends that children eat a healthy diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and a variety of protein foods, but these foods often cost much more than the unhealthy alternatives. 

According to Children Health Watch, “By kindergarten, food-insecure children often are cognitively, emotionally and physically behind their food-secure peers.” 

“ For me, it is not just about food insecurity but health insecurity and making sure that the food we are getting is healthy because food insecurity is also strongly related to obesity and chronic disease,” said Bellows. 

Many low-income individuals can qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Bellows said ? of people who are food insecure do not qualify for SNAP benefits or other social services because they make too much money to qualify. 

“Those are people who are making enough to not qualify but not making enough to sustain a healthy life,” said Bellows. 

As food insecurity rates increased throughout the pandemic the number of people turning to non-profits drastically increased and in some cases, community members like Ana Ortiz, founder of No More Tears/ No Mas Lagrimas started to take action into their own hands.

“My kids, they were about to go hungry, hungry and we don't have nothing at home, that's a wake up call," said Ortiz.

When the pandemic hit Ortiz noticed her friends and family were struggling to not only make ends meet but to also get the food they needed to feed their family; because of this, she started offering weekly food drives for the community. 

Ortiz said that the community has waited long enough for the government to come in and help feed her community, now she believes it is time for the community to work together to stop hunger in Tompkins County. 

"Me and a lot of people in the community we agree, its like, its a wake up call, nobody is going to bring the stuff if you are not doing it yourself," said Ortiz. 

No More Tears hosts its weekly food drives at 706 West Buffalo Street and is always looking for food donations.