Currents News Staff
For those who are struggling to make ends meet, food banks are lifelines. Many of them across the country are swamped with long lines as inflation continues to take its toll. To make matters worse, donations to support them are down.
Jean Vaccarino has turned to food banks after months of choosing between groceries and her heart medicine.
“I’ll probably be homeless by next year,” Jean said, “because of the rent has tripled.”
She’s been on disability for the past few years, making it hard to make ends meet.
“I can’t buy clothes, I can’t buy for my grandchildren,” Jean said. “You can’t buy anything. It’s day to day and you just hope and pray for the best.”
With rising inflation, the average American is spending nearly $500 more per month including $78 more on food. It’s the toughest for those living paycheck to paycheck. In a June poll, 60% of lower income households said grocery prices were a major problem, so millions are turning to food banks for help.
Few food banks can afford to buy supply to fill the gap and even that is getting far pricier.
“The worst case scenario is that food banks will have to continue to wind down and even shut down food distributions that are vital lifelines for communities across this country,” said Vince Hall from Feeding America.
If you need help finding affordable meals, or if you’d like to donate to your local pantry, head to THETABLET.ORG and search “Food Pantries Can Help During Soaring Inflation”
There you can find a list of food pantry locations affiliated with Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens.