In the U.S., hunger is often hidden away. It looks nothing like the stereotype of a famine happening overseas. But the physical impacts on health and the psychological scars can last a lifetime.

With job losses, food benefit reductions and higher prices, many in the U.S. are having to scrimp this holiday season.

The Capital Area Food Bank in Washington, D.C., says it's allotted an extra 1 million meals for November, given the uncertainties about whether and when SNAP recipients will get their full benefits.

At one food pantry in Boston, the spike in demand means there's now a two-week wait for some to receive food, stressing needy families as well as pantry staff.

In failing to fully fund the food assistance program that covers 42 million low-income Americans, the judge said the government "failed to consider the harms" to people who rely on the benefits.

The city of Atlanta is pooling its resources and leveraging partnerships to provide food and financial relief to residents affected by the federal government shutdown.  

Cuts to the USDA in March may have left food banks in a tough spot if the federal government shutdown means 42 million people don't get their food aid in November — including more than a million in Georgia.

Maine has long been one of the most food insecure states in New England. In March, the Trump administration cut more than $1 billion from two U.S. food programs.

A Georgia native and finalist on this season of GPB’s The Great American Recipe is using her platform to educate on the issue of food insecurity and summer hunger. In the Atlanta Community Food Bank's Learning Kitchen, Leanna Pierre taught viewers how to recreate two of her favorite recipes and asked them to get involved in improving their communities.

Since  last summer, thousands of Georgians have turned to food banks, kitchens and shelters in order to make up for the loss of extra federal food stamp benefits that kept them from going hungry during the worst of the pandemic.

Officials said Wednesday that the masks will be delivered in the coming months, and are expected to reach an estimated 12 to 15 million vulnerable Americans.

Some sectors are thriving, while others continue to struggle, putting different people in vastly different situations. NPR is following four people who will help illustrate the arc of the recovery.