Amid COVID-19, food insecurity is skyrocketing. Here’s what local hunger-relief organizations are doing to help.

“Don’t be afraid to ask for help,” says a young mother, her toddler wriggling and smiling in her arms. She’s standing in the doorway of her St. Louis home, answering questions about her struggles with food insecurity during the pandemic. “It seems like we’re all in this alone, but there are places like this that are willing to help us out, and it’s better to work together than to try to do it all on your own. That’s the only way you’re going to make it through anything.”

During her pregnancy, the young mother benefited from Fresh Rx: Nourishing Healthy Starts, a program run by nonprofit hunger-relief organization Operation Food Search (OFS) in St. Louis. The program supports low-income pregnant people with nutrition education, cooking courses and access to healthy, nutrient-dense food. This summer, it surpassed 100 enrollees, with an ultimate goal of 184 new participants in the next year, says OFS executive director Kristen Wild. Read more. . .