Some of the largest pantries in Dane County say while demand is up, donations are down.
Area food pantries are seeing record numbers with rising demand and inflation, and that has operational leaders worried about the immediate future. The newest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows prices in September hit another 40-year high. Rent is up by 7.2%, electricity prices are up 15.5%, health insurance is about 30% more expensive, and groceries are up 13%.
“The number of families using our food pantry has increased significantly from 2021 to 2022. We’re serving one car per minute during a three-and-half hour span of time,” Chris Kane, Senior Director of Client Services at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul — Madison, says.
With the rising cost of food, fuel, and utilities, and with traditionally high pantry usage in the colder months, there is much concern over food availability, budget shortfalls, inadequate volunteer levels, increases in staff and volunteer workloads and stress. Given these factors, area food pantries face the possibility of not having enough total resources to respond to any future disasters, including a pandemic, financial crisis, and extreme weather events.
“Since January, over 1,300 new households throughout Dane County have registered for our services this year,” Rhonda Adams, Executive Director of The River Food Pantry, says. “As inflation continues to hit low-income households hard, we are gearing up for a very busy holiday season to meet the community’s growing need for food and household items.”
Many pantries are reporting that individuals and families are traveling longer distances to receive food and coming from not only the greater Madison area but from rural communities all throughout Dane County. St. Vincent de Paul — Madison has noticed a trend of people carpooling from farther distances and picking up food for up to five families at a time. BPNN reports that many of the families that visit the pantry have employment or live on fixed incomes, and yet it’s not enough to cover the necessities.