As more Americans choose donated meals due to the growing cost of groceries, food pantries around the country report that they are having trouble keeping up with demand.
According to a recent poll by Feeding America, a nonprofit network of 200 food banks, 155 food pantries have seen an increase in the number of families knocking on their doors.
According to Tehma Smith Wilson, who oversees a food pantry in Baltimore, “people going through and they’re not just receiving for their family, but they could have a sister or a brother they’re getting a little bit more for.”
Food banks are having a harder time keeping up with the demand as more people turn to them for assistance.
According to Wilson, her pantry used to get 700 boxes of donated food on a regular basis; now, that number is closer to 100.
Wilson said, “But we can’t complain because anything is better than nothing.
According to the most recent Consumer Price Index statistics, grocery shop prices increased 13% in July, the largest annual rise since March 1979.
According to official statistics, the biggest price increase over the last year was for eggs at 38%; other items with price increases include wheat (up 23%), butter (up 22%), and coffee (20%).
These price hikes, together with the high price of petrol and other essentials, are causing families to alter their food shopping habits.
According to a mother of two from Baltimore who works as a waitress, her wage is insufficient to keep up with the escalating cost of food.
She told CBS News, adding that she sometimes uses a food pantry, “I even have to go to the grocery shop in the early morning — like 6 or 7 in the morning — so I can buy the cheap meat because they sell meat from yesterday cheaper.”
According to LendingTree, households spent an average of $408 per week on food in June or July, up from $318 in May 2021.
Another Baltimore resident, Crystal Jenkins, said that she must divide her grocery shopping between a food bank and a grocery store.
The two bags of goods Jenkins just received home from Wilson’s food bank would feed her family of six for two days, according to Jenkins.
Jenkins said, “And then I’ll be back at the pantry repeatedly.”
Khristopher J. Brooks covers business, consumer, and financial news for CBS MoneyWatch, including topics including economic disparity, housing problems, bankruptcies, and the economics of sports.