CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The child poverty rate more than doubled in the U.S. last year, becoming the highest since 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The report states the supplemental poverty measure went from 5.2% in 2021 to 12.4% in 2022. It attributes the change to the expiration of the 2021 expanded monthly tax credit. 

Rosheda Morris is a single mother of three. She works full time in retail, earning $18 an hour. But she says that is not enough. 

"My check goes toward my rent, my light bill, necessities, everything is so high now,” Morris said. 

She goes to a Loaves & Fishes/Friendship Trays pantry in Charlotte to get food to put on her table. 

She benefited from the expanded child tax credit in 2021. Back then, the Biden administration increased the annual child tax credits from $2,000 per child to $3,000-$3,600.

With the extra help, Morris said she didn’t visit the pantry and was even able to give back. 

“That money went a long way to help us with diapers, clothes, uniforms, food,” she said. 

Those who qualified received half of the funds on a monthly basis and the other half once they filed taxes. 

Loaves & Fishes/Friendship Trays, a nonprofit organization providing food for Charlotte residents in need, noticed the impact once the tax credit expired. 

“We got to catch our collective breath. There were less children and families that needed to rely on emergency pantry operations in order to feed their family,” CEO Tina Postel said. 

In 2021, the organization served 22,022 children. The number increased to 31,721 in 2022 and in the first eight and a half months of this year, it has served 28,686.

“Anytime there’s a cut or a rollback of those enhanced programs, it means people have to rely on Loaves & Fishes/Friendship Trays in order to eat," Postel said. "I don’t even need to see it on the news. I know anytime that there are increased numbers in our pantries or through our grocery delivery program, it is usually the direct result of some important benefit being cut or scaled back." 

Once the extra funds stopped coming in, Morris felt the change. 

“I have to make sacrifices — it was either putting gas in my car or feeding my kids,” she said. 

Morris said bringing back the expanded tax credit or raising wages would help, but in the meantime, she’s grateful for the support of the pantry.

“It helped my family a lot,” Morris said.

President Joe Biden said he would continue fighting to restore the expanded child tax credits. Opponents object to extending the credit because they say it would discourage people from working and encourage inflation.