What helps when teachers and caregivers can’t count on enough food

When food runs short, the problem is not the same for everyone

If you are a teacher or an informal caregiver, food insecurity can show up in a work life that already asks a lot of you. The available research points to two different groups with different pressures: elementary schoolteachers during the COVID-19 pandemic, and informal caregivers in four southern US states. Both groups faced food insecurity, but the studies suggest that the reasons and the best responses are not identical.

According to Food Insecurity and Health-Related Concerns Among Elementary Schoolteachers During the COVID-19 Pandemic, the study looked at elementary schoolteachers during the pandemic and paired food insecurity with health-related concerns. According to Food Insecurity in a Sample of Informal Caregivers in 4 Southern US States, the report focused on informal caregivers in four southern US states, where the burden of food insecurity is already high. Those differences matter because they point to different ways teams can respond.

For teachers, the work setting is part of the problem

The teacher study ties food insecurity to a very specific moment: the COVID-19 pandemic. That matters because schools were operating under unusual strain, and teachers were dealing with health concerns at the same time. The study does not give a simple answer like “teachers need more food access” and stop there. It points to a mix of food insecurity and health-related concerns.

That means a school district, union, or local support group can’t assume one fix will cover everything. A food pantry at school may help with meals. A separate wellness program may help with health concerns. A paycheck or schedule change may help with both. The trade-off is that each response reaches only part of the problem. Food access helps if the main issue is shortage. Health support helps if stress and illness are part of what makes food harder to manage. Work changes help only if the school can actually make them.

For caregivers, who you are caring for changes the answer

The caregiver study starts from a different setup. It looks at informal caregivers, and the report notes that southern US states bear a disproportionate burden of food insecurity and have a higher prevalence of informal caregivers than other states. That means the problem is not just household budgets. Caregiving itself is part of the daily load.

The source summary says the report examined characteristics of caregivers associated with food insecurity, which points to a practical question: which caregivers are most at risk, and what kind of help fits them best? A caregiver-facing program can try to reach everyone, or it can try to target the people most likely to struggle. Broad programs are easier to offer and easier to explain. Targeted programs can be more efficient, but only if people can be identified and reached without missing the ones who need help most.

Broad help is simpler; targeted help is sharper

These studies suggest two common ways teams try to respond.

One is broad support: give help to all teachers, all caregivers, or all workers in a group. This is easier to put in place and less likely to miss someone who needs it. It can also be more expensive and less precise.

The other is targeted support: focus on the people with the highest risk, or on the settings where food insecurity is most likely to appear. That can make programs more efficient. It can also leave people out if the screening is weak, if people do not ask for help, or if the team waits too long to notice the problem.

The sources do not show one clearly winning approach. They do show that food insecurity in these groups is tied to work conditions and caregiving demands, so a one-size-fits-all answer is unlikely to fit well.

Work conditions still matter, even when the home situation is the focus

According to National Health Statistics Reports, Number 212, October 17, 2024, the report examined family food insecurity among working adults ages 18–64 using the 2021 National Health Interview Survey. It looked at work conditions including type of work shift, work schedule inflexibilities, advance notice of work schedule, and monthly change in earnings.

That report matters here because it shows how much food insecurity can track with work conditions, even before you look at teaching or caregiving specifically. If a family’s food access changes with shift type, schedule notice, or earnings swings, then any response that ignores those work conditions will be incomplete.

For teams that support teachers or caregivers, this pushes the decision in a useful direction. Food aid helps, but it may not be enough if the schedule still changes at the last minute or earnings keep shifting. Work policy changes can help, but they do not fix a kitchen that is already short on food. The best fit depends on whether the main pressure is money, time, schedule control, or all three.

What this means for schools, care organizations, and local support teams

If you work with teachers or caregivers, start by asking which problem you are actually trying to solve.

If the issue is access, make food easier to get. If the issue is timing, look at schedules and notice. If the issue is stress and health concerns, add support that addresses those directly. If the issue is concentrated in a specific group, target help there instead of spreading it thin.

That sounds simple, but the trade-off is real: the more precise the program, the more information it needs; the broader the program, the more likely it is to miss the people with the hardest barriers. The two CDC reports on teachers and caregivers show why that choice matters. One group was dealing with the pressure of pandemic-era school work. The other was carrying caregiving responsibilities in a region already burdened by food insecurity.

What to do next

If you are building support for teachers or caregivers, do not start with a single food program and call it done. Start with the part of the problem that is actually in front of you: work conditions, caregiving load, food access, or health concerns. Then decide whether a broad program, a targeted one, or a mix is the better fit.

If you are looking for a way to make daily meals easier for a family that is already stretched thin, a tool like Platter can help with the planning side, but only after you’ve named whether the bigger issue is time, money, or schedule control.