A Perfect Storm, A Strong Response.
Inflation, food shortages, a slowing economy and a cut in benefits have increased the need for food assistance across the country as well as locally in Middlesex and the surrounding communities.
In March 2023, the Friendship House Food Pantry saw 508 visits - the highest number of Food Pantry visits in any time in its history. Along with a soaring number of visits, 59 new families came to the Food Pantry for the first time during the month.
Beginning in March, cuts in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP will impact more than 30 million people who are enrolled in the program, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The reductions are due to the end of so-called emergency allotments, which bolstered food-stamp benefits at the start of the pandemic as all Americans struggled with widespread disruption to the economy. While the country is more stable than in 2020, households are now struggling with high food costs. Groceries were about 11.3% higher in January than a year earlier – making the timing of the SNAP cuts particularly challenging. Research shows that 1 in 10 Americans live in a food-insecure household.
“We definitely see that families are struggling, " says Craig Carr, Food Pantry Manager. “We’ve seen a lot of new people coming in for help. One mother with 4 children said that her food stamps were cut over $200 leaving her with $29 a month. When she came in to sign up she was in tears.” he recalled.
The national trend towards a greater need for food support is playing out in our local community. So far in 2023, the Food Pantry has had 1242 visits. This number represents the visits to the Food Pantry only. Visits to the Bread Shed continue and are usually in excess of another 200 visits per month. In comparison to the same months in 2022, this represents a 39% increase in visits to the Food Pantry.
Friendship House welcomes people in need of food and had expected an increase in need. Planning for more visits includes more frequent stocking of shelves, evaluating our Food Link orders and making use of our new freezer to stock more frozen items along with some new offerings.
“We want people to know that if they are struggling to put nutritious food on their table, we are here to help. There are no financial requirements or evaluations to visit the pantry for food” comments Craig. People are welcome in the Food Pantry. Information needed on a first visit includes a home Zip Code and the number of people in the household (children, adults and over 60 years of age). The selection of food changes based on availability and the size of the family dictates the amount of a particular item that can be taken. The Food Pantry also has a limited supply of personal care items available.
Friendship House Food Pantry is determined that each person arriving at our door, receives the food assistance they need.
Join our e-mailing list to receive our Friendship House Newsletter
