At some food banks, surging demand means a struggle to feed families
By Gordon Ebanks, CNN
(CNN) — In Polk County, Iowa, the Urbandale Food Pantry started giving out turkeys and Thanksgiving sides weeks ago. Demand was so high, with over 2,000 families visiting so far this month, that the pantry ran through its allotment of Thanksgiving staples.
Fortunately, additional funding, including donations from the community, meant the pantry could continue to supply Thanksgiving items.
But the high demand at Urbandale is emblematic of what many food pantries and organizations are seeing this year: increased need, as high prices squeeze Americans’ wallets and many families are still recovering from the interruption in SNAP benefits because of the government shutdown.
“This month has been unlike anything we’ve seen,” Patty Sneddon-Kisting, the pantry’s CEO and only full-time employee, told CNN.
Food prices have been a source of stress for many Americans this holiday season. Grocery prices gained 1.4% between January and September, and US consumer prices have risen 1.7% on average this year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
But that relatively low inflation builds on years of much higher rates, including a multi-decade high of 9.1% annual inflation after the pandemic. The accumulated price increases have left many Americans struggling to keep up.
And when the government shut down for six weeks earlier this year, the pause in full SNAP benefits drove many Americans even closer to the edge. Google searches for “food banks near me” hit a new high over that time.
Meanwhile, wage growth for many workers has fallen behind increases for those at the top of the economy. In contrast to stock market gains and surging home prices for wealthier Americans, the number of households receiving SNAP benefits has grown since 2023, according to Pew Research Center.
“When food prices are increasing and their monthly income isn’t really increasing to match it, it puts a lot of pressure on household budgets,” Michael Flood, executive director of the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, told CNN.
A surge of demand
Flood said his food bank hasn’t been able to keep up with demand this Thanksgiving season. However, support from volunteers has enabled LA Regional Food Bank to expand its distribution sites, with total food distribution up 24% compared to the Thanksgiving period last year, according to Flood.
Over the past month, the group of food pantries that comprise Food Share Program in Philadelphia saw a 12-fold increase in new registrants looking for food support, said George Matysik, the executive director. He added that emergency funding from the state and community donations enabled the program to continue buying food.
“These last few months have been the most challenging in the history of our organization,” he said.
At least one resource, though, is abundant: In a busier-than-usual holiday season, the volunteers who power these food banks are stepping up their efforts to help their friends and neighbors, pantries told CNN.
“We typically seem to have more than enough people out volunteering,” said Mary Connors, a retiree who has volunteered with the LA Regional Food Bank for six years. “Everybody’s excited to give back.”
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