Overview of food insecurity and food bank usage before and after the COVID-19 pandemic in Eastern Oklahoma

Food insecurity remains a major problem in Oklahoma and across the entire United States. The COVID-19 pandemic created burdens on households and individuals that may have contributed to increased food insecurity. However, there is still limited research surrounding COVID-19’s effect on food security within the United States as a whole and Oklahoma. This project aims to increase the knowledge base surrounding COVID-19 and food insecurity. Data from 67 food banks in Eastern Oklahoma was analyzed using paired t-tests to identify how visits for households, children, adults, seniors, and individuals changed during and after the pandemic’s peak transmission time. The paired t-tests only showed a significant increase in senior visits within the examined time frame of 2016 to 2023. The results of this analysis reveal that the food insecurity landscape in Eastern Oklahoma during and after the COVID-19 pandemic is very complex, and seniors may have been more affected by the COVID-19 pandemic than entire households, children, or adults.