
Rising Hunger Among Americans Pair Perilously with Increased Grocery Costs
- foodfightadmin
- August 4, 2022
- Federal, Hunger In America, Nutrition, SNAP
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Kelly Wilcox, mother of four from Payson, Utah, began visiting her local food pantry, Tabitha’s Way, after her husband lost his job. Despite securing new employment, the family continued to struggle and food assistance remained a necessity. Tabitha’s Way, traditionally servicing 130 families per week, now helps over 200 families as more community members find their wages don’t keep up with inflation. The cost of food alone increased 10.4 percent from the previous year, the largest rise documented since 1981.
A survey by the Urban Institute showed that food insecurity, after declining in 2021, has returned to levels seen in early 2020, with about one in five adults experiencing food insecurity in the past 30 days. Data from the National Census Bureau revealed that 25 million adults did not have enough to eat in the previous week – the highest number since before the winter of 2020.
Feeding America, the country’s largest network of food banks, reports that 65 percent of its member organizations served more people from May to June. In the same quarter, financial donations dropped, with national revenue falling by a third. 73 percent of Feeding America‘s food banks have seen individual food donations and federal food contributions decrease, while costs for food and transportation have gone up.
Wendy Osborne, director of Tabitha’s Way, confirms these trends, “people are working but not earning enough to sustain their families. With enhanced unemployment benefits, stimulus checks, and monthly child tax credit payments coming to a halt, food insecurity has spread rapidly in our communities”
Despite the stigma often associated with emergency food systems, more people are seeking help as inflation drives costs higher. Antazha Boysaw, a single mother, started visiting food pantries when she realized her income was too high for SNAP benefits, but too low to feed her children. Her positive experiences prompted her to post TikTok videos, encouraging others to seek assistance as well.
Iliana Lebron-Cruz, a health coach from Seattle, began to look up free food options when groceries costs surpassed her budget. She also created a TikTok video, urging people to break the stigma associated with seeking food assistance. Despite a few unsavory remarks, her video was viewed over 390,000 times and resonated with many struggling individuals.