Over the last 10 months, COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on the nation’s healthcare system and economic stability. But the individual toll of the pandemic goes beyond the virus. It’s deepening the problem of food insecurity in the U.S. — a problem that is already disproportionately affecting communities of color. Now, with illness and record job loss, that gap is now a wide chasm, with more people than ever worrying about barren cupboards.

So what does food insecurity look like in Illinois? Who is most affected, and what resources are available to help residents make ends meet? In this four-part series, Reset takes a deep dive into what food insecurity looks like in Chicago and the suburbs, and how local organizations are working to close the gap in certain communities.

GUEST: Craig Gundersen, professor of agriculture and economics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; creator of Feeding America’s “Map The Meal Gap”