Food pantry shortages catching up with the times

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KBSI) – As inflation rises, the challenges of affording certain items not only affects everyday people but businesses and organizations looking to help others.

Now, as the economy’s future steers toward a recession, prices for things rise and many people are forced make decision between buying certain foods or getting household items such as medicine.

“Senior boxes through the commodity supplemental food program and then TEFAP, the emergency food assistance program, and we’ve received a million pounds less food from the USDA for our TEFAP program in 2022 than we did in 2021; at the same time we were serving more people,” said Heather Collier, SEMO Food Bank donor relations manager.

Although there has been an increase in demand for the people they serve, the bank is now spending more money than last year.

But even with the changes they have been able to keep up with providing food thanks to their donations from companies and various teams.  

Lacy Boling, executive director of the Paducah Cooperative Ministry, says that her pantry just restocked its inventory last month thanks to a community event.

She says that every donation matters. 

Said Boling: “And we send out about 18 bags of food a day, you know, that equals 18 jars of peanut butter; so if you think, hey, they told us, ‘hey, we donated like three cases last week where did it all go? Gone in two days, you know, I mean that it goes very quickly.”