As Covid surges in Mississippi Delta, food banks and hospitals are stretched thin

A Mississippi community was already struggling. Now, it’s facing its worst Covid outbreak. Three in 1,000 residents in Bolivar County have died from the coronavirus, devastating one of the most vulnerable rural regions in the country. NBC News

JACKSON, Miss. — Four days before Christmas, Chiquikta Fountain watched as a growing line of cars stretched down a mile of road in the Mississippi Delta.

From her vantage point, it seemed like every resident in the rural town of Shaw was en route to the holiday meal giveaway at Delta Hands for Hope, a nonprofit she runs to support the area’s children.

The Dec. 21 event was meant to be a cheerful affair, despite the desperate need. Hams had been purchased from a mom-and-pop grocery store. There were bags of freshly picked greens, potatoes and onions for sides. With schools on winter break, volunteers tucked cereal and cases of orange juice into bags to help tide over families with children into the new year.

There were only 140 meals to distribute in the town of roughly 1,700. The meals were meant for a group of families and senior citizens who have relied heavily on the nonprofit for weekly assistance. But word spread quickly and it soon became clear that the food on hand wouldn’t be enough.

As supplies dwindled, the group began passing out the remnants. Produce for one person, a few boxes of cereal for another. ...

The Covid-19 crisis has compounded existing health care challenges in Bolivar County: Almost 1 in 6 residents are uninsured and more likely to put off treatment as a result, and there is a shortage of medical providers.