Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Food banks ‘not immune’ to inflationary pressures: Feeding America president

Food banks ‘not immune’ to inflationary pressures: Feeding America president

Nationwide surge in food bank demand ‘not a sustainable situation' as donations decrease, Katie Fitzgerald warns

As 65% of food banks across the country report surging demand, Feeding America President Katie Fitzgerald confirmed on "Varney & Co." Thursday, that inflationary pressures are impacting operations and driving more people to seek help - many of whom who’ve never requested food assistance before.

"We are seeing a hunger crisis in this country that is really in some ways worse than what we saw at the height of the pandemic," Fitzgerald told FOX Business’ Stuart Varney. "The problem that we're seeing is that food banks are not immune to these inflationary pressures. So they're dealing with trying to address this issue, having to face just insurmountable costs to their way of conducting business."

According to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) – which is a broad measure of the price for everyday goods – food prices have outpaced overall inflation, rising 10.4% in June compared to a year ago. This takes into account food at home and at restaurants.

Inflation for food-at-home, which accounts for grocery store and supermarket food purchases, rose even higher to 12.2%, underscoring how consumers are not getting much reprieve by trying to cook at home.

A food bank executive in Pennsylvania covering the Philadelphia area noted during a live report on "Varney & Co.," Thursday, that many people are currently "struggling for the first time" amid the inflationary environment.

"A lot of people are finding that they are having to decide between paying for a bill, paying for gas, or paying for food," Chelsea Short, the director of communications at Philabundance, told FOX Business’ Jeff Flock during the live report.

She noted that her food bank has seen a surge in demand as prices for everything – including gas and food – has soared. Short told Flock that, prior to the pandemic, Philabundance was feeding approximately 90,000 people per week, and said that figure has now grown to 140,000.

Not only are food banks faced with increased costs, according to Fitzgerald, but food donations have also seen a tumble amid 40-year high inflation.

"Food donations are down. The supply chain and the tight inventories in the food supply chain are making it very difficult for food banks to get food donated," Fitzgerald explained. "Federal commodity food is down, and so food banks are trying to purchase their way out of this problem."

But food banks’ purchasing power is shrinking, with Feeding America partners expecting to spend 70% more on food costs this year compared to last year, the president noted.

"Our members are telling us that they're running deficit budgets and really asking folks in communities who can help to help as much as they can by donating to their local food bank and helping donate food wherever possible," Fitzgerald said.

The situation is one that’s "not sustainable" for food banks, the president warned.

"There are 66 billion pounds of food in the United States that goes to waste every year. And we know that we can recover more of that food," Fitzgerald said. "We think we can recover another billion in the retail channel alone."

The Feeding America president called to action a nationwide effort to fix "a problem that can be solved."

"Government, private sector, food donors and folks who can contribute and raise awareness about this really solvable, but really difficult problem," Fitzgerald said.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
×