But the 64-year-old made do with a steady paycheck as a kindergarten assistant at the local public school.
At their grandmothers house near the Kentucky-Virginia border, the kids, ages 10 to 19, began thriving.
They received good marks in school.
Malte Mueller/Getty Images
The oldest graduated high school and enrolled in community college.
The entire family scraped by on Lynnes modest salary.
Then the pandemic hit.
Kindergarten remained in session, which meant Lynne still had a job.
But school for all five kids moved completely online.
The internet was so aggravating.
It would wave, Id call it.
Lynne elected to retire early, a decision that helped her participate in virtual learning with the younger children.
At first, Lynne remained optimistic.
But the food banks often lacked fresh, nutritious options for Lynnes growing family.
The largest increase was in meat products, which tend to already be pricier than other categories.
I was getting desperate because I had charged so much on my credit card, Lynne says.
I was waiting for my income tax money.
Food insecurity and hunger do not exist in a vacuum.
People are simultaneously figuring out how to keep lights on, a roof over their head.
Families are making those difficult choices.
This can often mean choosing between necessities, like food, medication, utilities, or transportation.
Parents avoid paying other bills, they will skip meals themselves.
Theyre trying to think about how they can at least feed their kids.
More than one person talked about buying a freezer with the first stimulus check to store food.
So far, Dr. Bowen says her research has shown that parents prioritize their children eating over anything else.
But that doesnt tell the entire story.
According to that research, this intertwining is especially true for vulnerable populations.
The hunger crisis grows from cracked foundations: Food insecurity affects historically marginalized people at a much higher rate.
There are huge racial disparities, which are also tied to disparities in economic resources.
For white American families, the data revealed 7% to 14% were hungry.
That is not part of our underlying moral and policy commitment.
And women, especially women of color, are disproportionately represented in low-wage positions like these.
Those workers that we have now deemed essential, they were those bodies on the front line.
They were the most vulnerable bodies that didnt have the option to work from home.
Those jobs are predominantly occupied by Black bodies in Detroit.
And those bodies were in line for food.
This isnt a natural occurrence, Davison says, about the implication of the term fooddesert.
Our neighborhoods are living under food apartheid.
The results of this can be staggering from a health perspective.
A huge benefit to many, these programs were not without some discrepancies.
One undocumented mother of five lost her job at McDonalds the same month her husband was detained by ICE.
But I can find food, and food is what the people wont lack anymore.
For Almonte, its a subtle resistance against a system that does not serve all communities equally.
According to CANE board member Valerie Horn, the pantry served 700,000 food boxes in the summer of 2020.
In comparison, the pantry served 700 total boxes in 2014, the programs first year.
It was real simple and they were nice.
It was the nicest place Ive ever gotten anything.
Where does hunger go from here?
Villareal of Feeding America believes the implications of the pandemic on hunger are likely going to be long-standing.
It will take longer to get them fully on their feet.
In April, theUSDA also increased SNAP benefits for 25 million Americans.
As for what this all looks like going forward?
For one, COVID-19 drew attention to the widespread problems in our current food system.
I certainly am feeling more hopeful now, Dr. Bauer tells SELF.
- Last name has been omitted for privacy.
