Food banks are straining to meet growing demand caused by rising food prices, which are pinching budgets for households and the organizations themselves.
Forgotten Harvest, which serves the metro Detroit area, said demand increased 25% to 45% since December in different areas it serves. In March alone, demand rose 30% compared with the previous month.
Christopher Ivey, a spokesman for the food rescue, says metro Detroit is at the front of the bell curve, experiencing economic ripples before they hit other parts of the U.S.
“The need is growing quickly, as gas prices are continuing to rise,” he said. “As you know, there are shortages in the grocery store and the costs of the commodity goods are going up and up and up,” he said, adding that the organization is challenged by the increased demand but is still able to fulfill the needs of the public.
With inflation at a four-decade high, American households are feeling the pinch of higher prices across a range of products and services. The price of food at grocery stores in March was 10% higher than a year earlier, while food prices at restaurants were 6.9% higher than in March 2021, according to the Labor Department’s most recent consumer-price index.
Inflation is hitting food banks at a tough time, as supply-chain snarls limit donations and force them to buy more of their needed and costlier suppliers. https://t.co/6nQUPo1srT via @WSJ
— Paul Page (@PaulPage) May 3, 2022